movies

"Bridge of Spies" is due to be released Oct. 16. (Dreamworks Pictures)

‘Bridge of Spies’ trailer: Spielberg, Tom Hanks tell story of captured U-2 pilot

By Stephen Losey on June 5, 2015 Video

Dreamworks Pictures today released the first trailer for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film, “Bridge of Spies,” based on the true story of CIA U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers and his 1960 capture by the Soviet Union. In it, Tom Hanks portrays James Donovan, an insurance attorney recruited by the U.S. government to negotiate a spy swap for Powers with the Soviets. If the trailer is any indication, the movie looks like it will have some harrowing scenes behind the Iron Curtain in East Berlin, and the images of the shooting down of Powers look gripping. “Bridge of Spies” also co-stars Amy Ryan as Donovan’s…

Capt. Eric Koenig accepted an offer from Paramount Pictures to purchase one of his screenplays, "Matriarch," on Veterans Day. (Photo of Koenig by Rebecca Amber/Air Force; Paramount Pictures via The Associated Press).

Airman’s screenplay bought by Paramount Pictures

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 10, 2014 Air Force

Whatever started out as just a hobby has now brought this airman one step closer to Hollywood. Capt. Eric Koenig, the 412th Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental flight commander, recently accepted an offer from Paramount Pictures to purchase one of the many scripts he’s written in the last three years, according to a news release. The screenplay sold for an amount in the mid six-figure range, the release said. The story, called “Matriarch,” revolves around two powerful, female characters. According to Koenig: The plot follows a female serial killer on death row and her prison psychologist. There is one undisclosed piece of…

The Millennium Falcon takes on TIE fighters in the new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm)

Jalopnik compares Star Wars, US military tech–then and now

By Stephen Losey on December 1, 2014 Airframes

If you’ve been anywhere near the Internet this weekend, you’ve probably seen the first trailer for the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. Fans applauded the return of the legendary Millennium Falcon and the debut of an updated X-wing starfighter, and how their appearance hews closer to the utilitarian, beat-to-hell look of the original movies and not the shiny, spiffy look of the much-derided prequels. Jalopnik’s military-focused blog, Foxtrot Alpha, took things one step further this weekend by outlining how the advancement — or lack thereof — of weapons platforms in the Star Wars universe mirrors our own. Said Foxtrot Alpha: Like…

Godzilla vs. the Air Force: Fight!

By Stephen Losey on May 21, 2014 Offbeat

By now, you’ve probably gone out and seen the smash hit remake of Godzilla, featuring not one, not two, but three authentic Navy aircraft carriers. But we know what you’re thinking: How would the Air Force do against the King of the Monsters? Fortunately, the good people at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space magazine took a trip to Kadena Air Base in Japan to put the question to members of the 18th Wing. The video below contains the Air Force’s strategy for fighting off a 350-foot kaiju with F-15s, Super Cobra attack helicopters, Segways and slingshots, and it’s pretty classic. 18th…

Hear JFK rant about ‘silly bastard’ in the Air Force

By Stephen Losey on March 12, 2014 History

We’ve all been chewed out by our bosses at one time or another, but I’d wager none of us have ever been on the receiving end of a profane tirade from the President of the United States over pricey maternity furniture. That’s exactly what Air Force Gen. Godfrey McHugh got from President Kennedy on July 25, 1963. The Washington Post had just reported that Otis Air Force Base spent $5,000 — or $40,000 in today’s dollars — to refurbish a room into a maternity suite for the very pregnant Jackie Kennedy. President Kennedy was not happy, as you can hear…

‘Right Stuff’ coming to Blu Ray for 30th anniversary

By Stephen Losey on July 31, 2013 History

If you’re a fan of the 1983 film “The Right Stuff” — and I suspect more than a few of you are — you’ve got a treat coming this fall. Warner Bros. is releasing the classic film on high definition Blu Ray Nov. 5 to mark its 30th anniversary. “The Right Stuff,” which was adapted from Tom Wolfe’s equally terrific book, chronicles the birth of the American space program. But for my money, the early scenes that explore the high-risk, often-fatal lives of test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base during the 1950s are just as compelling as the story…

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