THE HURT LOCKER and THE MESSENGER Collecting Film Awards

Both THE HURT LOCK and THE MESSENGER -- two of the films on my site www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com -- have been receiving awards. Both films, in fact, are on the list of the American Film Institute's top 10 films for the AFI Awards.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. honored THE HURT LOCKER for best picture and best director (Kathryn Bigelow).

And in other news also reported in the December 14th Daily Variety: THE HURT LOCKER won awards for director and ensemble cast from the Washington, D.C., Area Film Critics Assn.

The film also got five awards from the Boston Society of Film Critics: best picture, actor (Jeremy Renner), director, cinematography (Barry Ackroyd) and editing (Bob Murawski and Chris Innes).

Both films are truly compelling -- and it is terrific that they earned these awards. I feel confident there will be more to follow.

Note added one day later: THE HURT LOCKER won the New York Film Critics Circle's awards for best picture and best director.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Ignore the Film Title and See the Movie THE MESSENGER

The new film THE MESSENGER would be much better served with the title NEXT OF KIN. While THE MESSENGER could refer to any number of movies -- and is an unmemorable title -- NEXT OF KIN is powerful, memorable and pinpoints the emotional rollercoaster of this compelling film.

This film does NOT bash the military or the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead it provides a window into the lives of military personnel and their families who are forever changed by death.

As those of you who are regular readers of this blog know, I've written a great deal about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Nancy Brown and I interviewed numerous people on this subject for our BlogTalkRadio show YourMilitaryLife.com. And my new site FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com offers a free report on recognizing the signs of PTSD.

In fact, in the scenes when the two protagonists of THE MESSENGER deliver the death notification to next of kin, it is vividly demonstrated how that moment in time can give PTSD to someone who has never seen combat.

I recommend that everyone see this movie in order to understand the sacrifices that our military men and women and their families are making for our freedom.

Then show your gratitude to our military personnel and their families. Many of the posts on this blog describe organizations that are supporting our troops and need your help to do so.

And after you see this movie, come back to this post and leave a comment about the film.

For now, visit the film site now for more information at www.themessengermovie.com.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.