In the first episode of the documentary series Spy Ops, the makers cover Operation Jawbreaker, which removed the Taliban from power in Afghanistan months after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. The success of the operation forced Osama bin Laden to leave Afghanistan and seek refuge in Pakistan. This sets the precedent for the show, as we get to watch and understand the famous spy operations.
Prologue
Spy Ops Episode 2 is about Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, who was accused of drug trafficking and aiding many drug cartels. In December 1989, the President of the USA directed the American military to carry out extended missions in Panama to save American lives. The press conference at the White House also mentioned that they are determined to preserve the integrity of the Panama treaty signed between the two countries in 1977 and restore the democratic process after apprehending the dictator, Manuel Noriega.
Prologue
Spy Ops Episode 2 is about Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, who was accused of drug trafficking and aiding many drug cartels. In December 1989, the President of the USA directed the American military to carry out extended missions in Panama to save American lives. The press conference at the White House also mentioned that they are determined to preserve the integrity of the Panama treaty signed between the two countries in 1977 and restore the democratic process after apprehending the dictator, Manuel Noriega.
- 9/9/2023
- by Smriti Kannan
- Film Fugitives
This article contains major spoilers for "Blue Beetle," so beware!
One of the biggest challenges superhero movies have is giving their protagonist a fully formed and intimidating villain to square off with. For every Thanos and Loki, there are a lot more subpar bad guys like Malekith the Accursed in "Thor: The Dark World" and Taskmaster in "Black Widow." DC Comics movies have had a somewhat better track record when it comes to crafting memorable villains, ranging from various versions of Joker to Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and even Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow. But when it comes to "Blue Beetle," the film's antagonist doesn't quite stick the landing, even though there's an admirable effort to deliver something consequential.
For most of "Blue Beetle," college graduate Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is frantically dealing with being involuntarily inhabited by an ancient, cosmic scarab that has fused itself onto his person, complete with...
One of the biggest challenges superhero movies have is giving their protagonist a fully formed and intimidating villain to square off with. For every Thanos and Loki, there are a lot more subpar bad guys like Malekith the Accursed in "Thor: The Dark World" and Taskmaster in "Black Widow." DC Comics movies have had a somewhat better track record when it comes to crafting memorable villains, ranging from various versions of Joker to Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and even Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow. But when it comes to "Blue Beetle," the film's antagonist doesn't quite stick the landing, even though there's an admirable effort to deliver something consequential.
For most of "Blue Beetle," college graduate Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is frantically dealing with being involuntarily inhabited by an ancient, cosmic scarab that has fused itself onto his person, complete with...
- 8/18/2023
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Rakontur has wrapped production on The Last of the Cocaine Cowboys, a four-part documentary miniseries on Medellín Cartel co-founder Carlos Lehder.
Described by the U.S. Department of Justice as “the Henry Ford of the cocaine industry,” Lehder co-founded Colombia’s infamous drug cartel alongside Pablo Escobar, Jorge Ochoa and Jose Rodriguez Gacha in the 1970s. He conspired with heads of state to corrupt entire nations and open cocaine smuggling routes in the Bahamas, Cuba, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico, also buying his own Bahamian island, Norman’s Cay, and transforming it into an air and sea cocaine shipping hub. Lehder simultaneously rose to political power in Colombia as head of the National Latin Movement and helped elect Pablo Escobar to Parliament, with the cartel at its peak smuggling 300 kilos of cocaine per day, and generating 20 billion a year.
Lehder in 1987 became the first Medellín Cartel leader to be captured and extradited to the United States,...
Described by the U.S. Department of Justice as “the Henry Ford of the cocaine industry,” Lehder co-founded Colombia’s infamous drug cartel alongside Pablo Escobar, Jorge Ochoa and Jose Rodriguez Gacha in the 1970s. He conspired with heads of state to corrupt entire nations and open cocaine smuggling routes in the Bahamas, Cuba, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico, also buying his own Bahamian island, Norman’s Cay, and transforming it into an air and sea cocaine shipping hub. Lehder simultaneously rose to political power in Colombia as head of the National Latin Movement and helped elect Pablo Escobar to Parliament, with the cartel at its peak smuggling 300 kilos of cocaine per day, and generating 20 billion a year.
Lehder in 1987 became the first Medellín Cartel leader to be captured and extradited to the United States,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Panama,” the latest offering from The Mel Gibson Movie of the Month Club, is the sort of instantly disposable action-thriller that wears its cynicism on its sleeve while laboring to grab attention with quick-cut visuals. Those combine with more gratuitous nudity than you can shake a stick at — without, it should be noted, any sticks — to goose a narrative that is tediously predictable when not borderline incoherent. It is notable primarily for the presence of Cole Hauser, star of TV’s phenomenally popular “Yellowstone,” who earns his top billing by doing most of the heavy lifting for his sporadically glimpsed but frequently heard co-star.
In terms of facilitating a transition from television to features, “Panama” may do more for Hauser than, say, “Macho Callahan” ever did for David Janssen. Hauser fully commits to his role as Becker, an ex-Marine who free-lances for the CIA, using his macho charm, intimidating snarl,...
In terms of facilitating a transition from television to features, “Panama” may do more for Hauser than, say, “Macho Callahan” ever did for David Janssen. Hauser fully commits to his role as Becker, an ex-Marine who free-lances for the CIA, using his macho charm, intimidating snarl,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
This article includes spoilers about the plot of “The Suicide Squad.”
On the surface, “The Suicide Squad” is not a movie with geopolitics on its mind. Writer/director James Gunn’s hard-r supervillain romp is a loud, bloody, men-on-a-mission riff that owes more to Sam Peckinpah and Gunn’s own zany “Guardians of the Galaxy” than anything with complex historical connotations. Nevertheless, they’re hiding in plain sight, whether or not Gunn intended them to be there. Shot in Panama with signifiers that speak directly to its history with military dictatorships, “The Suicide Squad” has more layers than its absurd concept would suggest, even if it reduces them to B-movie conceits along with everything else on the screen.
The bulk of the movie takes place on the fictional island nation of Corto Maltese, and while its protagonists spend much of the time battling their way through scores of baddies and one giant kaiju menace,...
On the surface, “The Suicide Squad” is not a movie with geopolitics on its mind. Writer/director James Gunn’s hard-r supervillain romp is a loud, bloody, men-on-a-mission riff that owes more to Sam Peckinpah and Gunn’s own zany “Guardians of the Galaxy” than anything with complex historical connotations. Nevertheless, they’re hiding in plain sight, whether or not Gunn intended them to be there. Shot in Panama with signifiers that speak directly to its history with military dictatorships, “The Suicide Squad” has more layers than its absurd concept would suggest, even if it reduces them to B-movie conceits along with everything else on the screen.
The bulk of the movie takes place on the fictional island nation of Corto Maltese, and while its protagonists spend much of the time battling their way through scores of baddies and one giant kaiju menace,...
- 8/7/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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