Anyone heard anything about this one yet? For those who haven't, it's the Hanks/Spielberg followup to Band of Brothers.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid6555681001?bctid=27118086001
It's gonna be awesome. (http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2010/03/the_pacific_review_sepinwall_o.html)
Quote from: R-V on March 11, 2010, 06:42:23 AM
It's gonna be awesome. (http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2010/03/the_pacific_review_sepinwall_o.html)
It better be. They spent $250 million on it.
Will it have guns? I am there.
Wait, gooks will die? I am TiVoing.
It is as awesome as you've heard. Even though it is about the fucking Marines.
Quote from: Tinker to Evers to Chance on March 14, 2010, 09:01:23 PM
It is as awesome as you've heard. Even though it is about the fucking Marines.
I agree with this. I pretty much went into Episode 1 with the thought that there would be a shit ton of character intros and fleshing out of stories. There was plenty of that, but it was still a pretty damn awesome start.
Watching this is making me want to buy Band of Brothers and Generation Kill.
I can't be certain, but I think they're showing this on the 101 network (for those of us with DirecTV). I set the DVR for it last night, but was asleep before it went on. So if you have DirecTV, check it out.
I got HBO just for this series. Sucks I didn't go with DirecTV if what Dubbs said is correct.
Quote from: Yeti on March 16, 2010, 10:33:18 AM
I got HBO just for Real Sex and other quasi, soft-core pornographic movies. this series. Sucks I didn't go with DirecTV if what Dubbs said is correct.
Be honest'd.
Quote from: Gilgamesh on March 18, 2010, 06:29:45 PM
Quote from: Yeti on March 16, 2010, 10:33:18 AM
I got HBO just for Real Sex and other quasi, soft-core pornographic movies. this series. Sucks I didn't go with DirecTV if what Dubbs said is correct.
Be honest'd.
You know, I forgot that was on there. I'll have to check my local listings more often.
Quote from: Yeti on March 18, 2010, 06:45:25 PM
Quote from: Gilgamesh on March 18, 2010, 06:29:45 PM
Quote from: Yeti on March 16, 2010, 10:33:18 AM
I got HBO just for Real Sex and other quasi, soft-core pornographic movies. this series. Sucks I didn't go with DirecTV if what Dubbs said is correct.
Be honest'd.
You know, I forgot that was on there. I'll have to check my local listings more often.
Oh yeah. It's on the 101 Network. I think I just have to wait until the week after it airs on HBO. It was some good shit. The more slopes they kill, the better.
Quote from: Richard Chuggar on March 19, 2010, 06:23:03 AM
Quote from: Yeti on March 18, 2010, 06:45:25 PM
Quote from: Gilgamesh on March 18, 2010, 06:29:45 PM
Quote from: Yeti on March 16, 2010, 10:33:18 AM
I got HBO just for Real Sex and other quasi, soft-core pornographic movies. this series. Sucks I didn't go with DirecTV if what Dubbs said is correct.
Be honest'd.
You know, I forgot that was on there. I'll have to check my local listings more often.
Oh yeah. It's on the 101 Network. I think I just have to wait until the week after it airs on HBO. It was some good shit. The more slopes they kill, the better.
TDubbs can't wait to see how the war turns out.
John Basilone: unmitigated badass.
Wouldn't you know that this would turn into a sex epic as well? Kind of an almost contemporary Spartacus.
Quote from: CBStew on April 02, 2010, 09:22:58 AM
Wouldn't you know that this would turn into a sex epic as well? Kind of an almost contemporary Spartacus.
Could you possibly hate the troops any more?
Quote from: Internet Apex on April 02, 2010, 02:10:44 PM
Quote from: CBStew on April 02, 2010, 09:22:58 AM
Wouldn't you know that this would turn into a sex epic as well? Kind of an almost contemporary Spartacus.
Could you possibly hate the troops any more?
Yeah. He hasn't met TEC yet.
So 4 episodes into this, and I'm not splooging over it the way I did about Band of Brothers. The main thing for me is that I couldn't name more than 2 characters on this. On Band of Brothers, I could rattle off 10-15 easily. I liked those guys. It's not that the guys on the Pacific aren't likeable but I just haven't "connected" with them like I did on Band of Brothers. Now, I'm not sure if it's because I've also been doing something else while watching them, like housework and shit, but I'm just not overly enamored by this. I have not deleted any off the TiVo yet, nor do I plan to until it's over and I at least copy them to a VHS. I do think that maybe it would do me some good to watch them and to do nothing else but that.. But the point remains, so far, I'm not that impressed. At least not to the point that I was with Band of Brothers.
Quote from: Yeti on April 06, 2010, 10:14:50 AM
So 4 episodes into this, and I'm not splooging over it the way I did about Band of Brothers. The main thing for me is that I couldn't name more than 2 characters on this. On Band of Brothers, I could rattle off 10-15 easily. I liked those guys. It's not that the guys on the Pacific aren't likeable but I just haven't "connected" with them like I did on Band of Brothers. Now, I'm not sure if it's because I've also been doing something else while watching them, like housework and shit, but I'm just not overly enamored by this. I have not deleted any off the TiVo yet, nor do I plan to until it's over and I at least copy them to a VHS. I do think that maybe it would do me some good to watch them and to do nothing else but that.. But the point remains, so far, I'm not that impressed. At least not to the point that I was with Band of Brothers.
So you're saying that you're not as invested in a show that you semi-watch once a week while scrubbing your toilet shelf, as you were by a show that you sat down and watched back-to-back on DVD? Wild.
As for the show itself, there's only been about a half hour of actual action the last couple weeks, with most of the time spent on getting to know the characters. Based on the previews it looks like shit's gonna ramp up next week and you'll unclasp your french maid outfit, settle down in your beanbag chair, and start getting interested.
Quote from: R-V on April 06, 2010, 10:43:51 AM
Quote from: Yeti on April 06, 2010, 10:14:50 AM
So 4 episodes into this, and I'm not splooging over it the way I did about Band of Brothers. The main thing for me is that I couldn't name more than 2 characters on this. On Band of Brothers, I could rattle off 10-15 easily. I liked those guys. It's not that the guys on the Pacific aren't likeable but I just haven't "connected" with them like I did on Band of Brothers. Now, I'm not sure if it's because I've also been doing something else while watching them, like housework and shit, but I'm just not overly enamored by this. I have not deleted any off the TiVo yet, nor do I plan to until it's over and I at least copy them to a VHS. I do think that maybe it would do me some good to watch them and to do nothing else but that.. But the point remains, so far, I'm not that impressed. At least not to the point that I was with Band of Brothers.
So you're saying that you're not as invested in a show that you semi-watch once a week while scrubbing your toilet shelf, as you were by a show that you sat down and watched back-to-back on DVD? Wild.
As for the show itself, there's only been about a half hour of actual action the last couple weeks, with most of the time spent on getting to know the characters. Based on the previews it looks like shit's gonna ramp up next week and you'll unclasp your french maid outfit, settle down in your beanbag chair, and start getting interested.
I've watched the first 2 episodes two times so far.
Last week's show was about the depression and other psychological consequences of combat. (TEC will probably ream me a new one for that oversimplification) I think that the episode was outstanding for the psychological studies.
Quote from: Yeti on April 06, 2010, 10:14:50 AM
So 4 episodes into this, and I'm not splooging over it the way I did about Band of Brothers. The main thing for me is that I couldn't name more than 2 characters on this. On Band of Brothers, I could rattle off 10-15 easily. I liked those guys. It's not that the guys on the Pacific aren't likeable but I just haven't "connected" with them like I did on Band of Brothers. Now, I'm not sure if it's because I've also been doing something else while watching them, like housework and shit, but I'm just not overly enamored by this. I have not deleted any off the TiVo yet, nor do I plan to until it's over and I at least copy them to a VHS. I do think that maybe it would do me some good to watch them and to do nothing else but that.. But the point remains, so far, I'm not that impressed. At least not to the point that I was with Band of Brothers.
Fucking idiot
If this episode didn't do it for you then you might as welll stop watching.
The episode that aired on Sunday April 25 was an hour of pure unadulterated hell. It is difficult to comment. Terror. Agony. Pain. Remorse. Yet I still can't imagine being there and doing what those young men had to do. That anyone not only lived through it but came out of it as whole human beings is miraculous. Using the young man from Alabama as an "everyman" is a great device. The first five episodes showed him in his home, protected by his doctor father because of a heart murmur. But when he reaches the age when he can sign up regardless of parental consent he does so under a sense of duty and responsibility. Now, when he is not killing the enemy and on one occasion a fellow American, he just stares uncomprehendingly. At one point he tries to emulate the cruelty of one of his colleagues by extracting the fillings of a dead Japanese. That colleague warns him not to, and you think that finally some compassion and humanity is coming back. But the colleague is warning him about disease, so instead he slices off a piece of the corpse's uniform as a token. Yet he refuses to take a prized Japanese sword as booty in another scene. We hope that he will never regret that decision.
Quote from: CBStew on April 26, 2010, 01:03:13 PM
The episode that aired on Sunday April 25 was an hour of pure unadulterated hell. It is difficult to comment. Terror. Agony. Pain. Remorse. Yet I still can't imagine being there and doing what those young men had to do. That anyone not only lived through it but came out of it as whole human beings is miraculous. Using the young man from Alabama as an "everyman" is a great device. The first five episodes showed him in his home, protected by his doctor father because of a heart murmur. But when he reaches the age when he can sign up regardless of parental consent he does so under a sense of duty and responsibility. Now, when he is not killing the enemy and on one occasion a fellow American, he just stares uncomprehendingly. At one point he tries to emulate the cruelty of one of his colleagues by extracting the fillings of a dead Japanese. That colleague warns him not to, and you think that finally some compassion and humanity is coming back. But the colleague is warning him about disease, so instead he slices off a piece of the corpse's uniform as a token. Yet he refuses to take a prized Japanese sword as booty in another scene. We hope that he will never regret that decision.
THIS
I keep thinking about Sledge's father begging him not to lose his soul. Day by day, hour by hour we see him facing that challenge along with everything else. We know who will win the war but this particular battle is yet undecided. It's heartbreaking to watch it and it's why this show is so amazing. The actor playing Sledge is putting up a fucking brilliant portrait. I didn't know if this show would match up with BoB but it's definitely on that level. It just took a while to figure out who's who.
You know, when I saw that Sledge was going to be in this series, I kind of chuckled. He just looked so typical, so pedestrian, unlike many of the BoB guys' who seemed to emit that "larger than life" feeling. That may have been true if there hadn't been a war, but he continues to amaze me. He's obviously scared, but he shows much more than that. It really gives me the feeling that that's how one of us would have handled things. I regret all the shit I said about this initially. This is a great show. Very powerful, yet very different from BoB. I can't wait until next sunday.
What is different about the 2 shows, "Paciifc" and "Band of Brothers", is expressed in the titles. "Band of Brothers" was an ensemble of characters working together for a common goal. The impersonal "Pacific" is about the survival of individuals, and therefore it connects with us on an entirely different level than BoB. BoB was about heroes. Pacific is about whether I will survive the War and if so, how?
Quote from: CBStew on April 28, 2010, 12:34:30 PM
What is different about the 2 shows, "Paciifc" and "Band of Brothers", is expressed in the titles. "Band of Brothers" was an ensemble of characters working together for a common goal. The impersonal "Pacific" is about the survival of individuals, and therefore it connects with us on an entirely different level than BoB. BoB was about heroes. Pacific is about whether I will survive the War and if so, how?
That's some good observatin' there.
Quote from: Internet Apex on April 28, 2010, 05:53:38 PM
Quote from: CBStew on April 28, 2010, 12:34:30 PM
What is different about the 2 shows, "Paciifc" and "Band of Brothers", is expressed in the titles. "Band of Brothers" was an ensemble of characters working together for a common goal. The impersonal "Pacific" is about the survival of individuals, and therefore it connects with us on an entirely different level than BoB. BoB was about heroes. Pacific is about whether I will survive the War and if so, how?
That's some good observatin' there.
Great point, Stew. I've been trying to put my finger on what's different and that's exactly it. Both series are excellent, but in their own way.
This last episode was tremendous. Sledge's discovery of the guys in the bunker, and the death of the captain and its aftermath, had me on the edge of my seat.
Quote from: CBStew on April 26, 2010, 01:03:13 PM
The episode that aired on Sunday April 25 was an hour of pure unadulterated hell. It is difficult to comment. Terror. Agony. Pain. Remorse. Yet I still can't imagine being there and doing what those young men had to do. That anyone not only lived through it but came out of it as whole human beings is miraculous. Using the young man from Alabama as an "everyman" is a great device. The first five episodes showed him in his home, protected by his doctor father because of a heart murmur. But when he reaches the age when he can sign up regardless of parental consent he does so under a sense of duty and responsibility. Now, when he is not killing the enemy and on one occasion a fellow American, he just stares uncomprehendingly. At one point he tries to emulate the cruelty of one of his colleagues by extracting the fillings of a dead Japanese. That colleague warns him not to, and you think that finally some compassion and humanity is coming back. But the colleague is warning him about disease, so instead he slices off a piece of the corpse's uniform as a token. Yet he refuses to take a prized Japanese sword as booty in another scene. We hope that he will never regret that decision.
I actually got the strong sense that his colleague (who is played creepily well) was actually trying to prevent Sledge from coming over to his "dark side," but that he still wanted to be a tough guy, so he couldn't just tell him, "You'll regret it." At least that's how I interpreted that scene. I felt like he was just making the disease part up entirely.
Quote from: Kermit IV on April 30, 2010, 10:53:29 AM
Quote from: CBStew on April 26, 2010, 01:03:13 PM
The episode that aired on Sunday April 25 was an hour of pure unadulterated hell. It is difficult to comment. Terror. Agony. Pain. Remorse. Yet I still can't imagine being there and doing what those young men had to do. That anyone not only lived through it but came out of it as whole human beings is miraculous. Using the young man from Alabama as an "everyman" is a great device. The first five episodes showed him in his home, protected by his doctor father because of a heart murmur. But when he reaches the age when he can sign up regardless of parental consent he does so under a sense of duty and responsibility. Now, when he is not killing the enemy and on one occasion a fellow American, he just stares uncomprehendingly. At one point he tries to emulate the cruelty of one of his colleagues by extracting the fillings of a dead Japanese. That colleague warns him not to, and you think that finally some compassion and humanity is coming back. But the colleague is warning him about disease, so instead he slices off a piece of the corpse's uniform as a token. Yet he refuses to take a prized Japanese sword as booty in another scene. We hope that he will never regret that decision.
I actually got the strong sense that his colleague (who is played creepily well) was actually trying to prevent Sledge from coming over to his "dark side," but that he still wanted to be a tough guy, so he couldn't just tell him, "You'll regret it." At least that's how I interpreted that scene. I felt like he was just making the disease part up entirely.
I saw it the same way. The image of Snafu throwing pebbles into that guy's exploded brain cavity was nightmare fuel.
Quote from: R-V on April 30, 2010, 11:36:22 AM
Quote from: Kermit IV on April 30, 2010, 10:53:29 AM
Quote from: CBStew on April 26, 2010, 01:03:13 PM
The episode that aired on Sunday April 25 was an hour of pure unadulterated hell. It is difficult to comment. Terror. Agony. Pain. Remorse. Yet I still can't imagine being there and doing what those young men had to do. That anyone not only lived through it but came out of it as whole human beings is miraculous. Using the young man from Alabama as an "everyman" is a great device. The first five episodes showed him in his home, protected by his doctor father because of a heart murmur. But when he reaches the age when he can sign up regardless of parental consent he does so under a sense of duty and responsibility. Now, when he is not killing the enemy and on one occasion a fellow American, he just stares uncomprehendingly. At one point he tries to emulate the cruelty of one of his colleagues by extracting the fillings of a dead Japanese. That colleague warns him not to, and you think that finally some compassion and humanity is coming back. But the colleague is warning him about disease, so instead he slices off a piece of the corpse's uniform as a token. Yet he refuses to take a prized Japanese sword as booty in another scene. We hope that he will never regret that decision.
I actually got the strong sense that his colleague (who is played creepily well) was actually trying to prevent Sledge from coming over to his "dark side," but that he still wanted to be a tough guy, so he couldn't just tell him, "You'll regret it." At least that's how I interpreted that scene. I felt like he was just making the disease part up entirely.
I saw it the same way. The image of Snafu throwing pebbles into that guy's exploded brain cavity was nightmare fuel.
Snafu is on some serious Oleg drugs, but I enjoy the shit out of him.
Quote from: R-V on April 30, 2010, 11:36:22 AM
Quote from: Kermit IV on April 30, 2010, 10:53:29 AM
Quote from: CBStew on April 26, 2010, 01:03:13 PM
The episode that aired on Sunday April 25 was an hour of pure unadulterated hell. It is difficult to comment. Terror. Agony. Pain. Remorse. Yet I still can't imagine being there and doing what those young men had to do. That anyone not only lived through it but came out of it as whole human beings is miraculous. Using the young man from Alabama as an "everyman" is a great device. The first five episodes showed him in his home, protected by his doctor father because of a heart murmur. But when he reaches the age when he can sign up regardless of parental consent he does so under a sense of duty and responsibility. Now, when he is not killing the enemy and on one occasion a fellow American, he just stares uncomprehendingly. At one point he tries to emulate the cruelty of one of his colleagues by extracting the fillings of a dead Japanese. That colleague warns him not to, and you think that finally some compassion and humanity is coming back. But the colleague is warning him about disease, so instead he slices off a piece of the corpse's uniform as a token. Yet he refuses to take a prized Japanese sword as booty in another scene. We hope that he will never regret that decision.
I actually got the strong sense that his colleague (who is played creepily well) was actually trying to prevent Sledge from coming over to his "dark side," but that he still wanted to be a tough guy, so he couldn't just tell him, "You'll regret it." At least that's how I interpreted that scene. I felt like he was just making the disease part up entirely.
I saw it the same way. The image of Snafu throwing pebbles into that guy's exploded brain cavity was nightmare fuel.
I knew the plopping sound wasn't being caused by anything pleasant, but I was absolutely not prepared for that.
I know the results of what happens to these guys can probably be found on Wiki, but I was resisting doing so. Goddammit, I just knew after having a full Basilone episode was going to end up that way.. Very tough to see.
Quote from: Yeti on May 02, 2010, 09:40:46 PM
I know the results of what happens to these guys can probably be found on Wiki, but I was resisting doing so. Goddammit, I just knew after having a full Basilone episode was going to end up that way.. Very tough to see.
Go and rent "Letters From Iwo Jima" to see it from the other side.
Quote from: Yeti on May 02, 2010, 09:40:46 PM
I know the results of what happens to these guys can probably be found on Wiki, but I was resisting doing so. Goddammit, I just knew after having a full Basilone episode was going to end up that way.. Very tough to see.
Great episode though. The quick transition from pipe-laying to Iwo Jima was very cool.
Does it get any more badass than "Tell that tank to follow me"?
I just got my monthly solicitation to join the History Book Club. One of the books that they are featuring is a biography of John Basilone.
Next week is the final episode. It has been a harrowing experience. If they had showed us movies like this during WWII I know that we wouldn't have been so "Gung Ho".
The final episode concluded with a couple of sentences about the post war histories of some of the main characters whom we had been watching. There were some surprises. The main surprise for me was that Sledge not only did not eat his revolver but apparently went on to a distinguished normal life. Second surprise for me was that Snafu (from his photgraph) appeared to be a light skinned African-American. Third surprise for me was that Snafu didn't end up in prison or a mental institution. It was a very touching scene when Snafu got off the train and decided to not wake Sledge to say goodbye. He simply got off the train, and melted into the crowd.
The last episode made me think of Tommy Gardner. Tommy was in his middle teens when my family moved into his neighborhood on the North side. We were the only Jewish family on the block. Whenever he saw me he and his friends would chase me, knock me to the ground and call me a dirty Jew. I was five years old. This went on for two years until Tommy got drafted. I wasn't sorry to see him go. Things improved after Tommy and his friends left. I even got along well with his sister, who was about my age. Then the war ended. The first time I saw Tommy after the war I was around ten. I expected the worst. He was with his sister and she, showing off for Tommy, called me a dirty Jew. Tommy grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around and poked his finger in her face. "Don't you ever say anything like that to anyone ever again." Even at that age I think I knew what Tommy had seen during the war.
I teared up when Sledge broke down in the woods with his father. That was a tough scene to watch.
As I was thinking about the differences between the series, I thought about what Stew said (BoB was about heroes and this was about guys surviving the war). One thing kind of struck in my mind, while war is, indeed, hell, the European front seems like it was the "Glorious" war compared to the Pacific. Obviously, the enemy was of a different breed. They were the first Americans had seen of guerrilla opponents. Anyway, the European war seems like it had more structure and was "cleaner". The Pacific side of things just seemed dirty, ruthless, and a bitch compared to the other. I may be wrong, but that is my gut feeling when comparing the two series.
Quote from: Yeti on May 17, 2010, 01:46:10 PM
As I was thinking about the differences between the series, I thought about what Stew said (BoB was about heroes and this was about guys surviving the war). One thing kind of struck in my mind, while war is, indeed, hell, the European front seems like it was the "Glorious" war compared to the Pacific. Obviously, the enemy was of a different breed. They were the first Americans had seen of guerrilla opponents. Anyway, the European war seems like it had more structure and was "cleaner". The Pacific side of things just seemed dirty, ruthless, and a bitch compared to the other. I may be wrong, but that is my gut feeling when comparing the two series.
Racist. This was a great series. It was inevitable that it would be compared to BoB, but I wouldn't say either one was "better" than the other. As you guys have pointed out they are both excellent, just in different ways.
Remember the episode of BoB where they were starving in the woods during the Battle of the Bulge, under constant artillery bombardment? The Pacific sustained that intensity for pretty much it's entire back half (from the landing at Peleliu to the end of episode 9). I felt like I didn't exhale until the end of each episode.
Anyone know if Hanks/Spielberg have any plans for another one of these series?
Quote from: R-V on May 17, 2010, 02:03:32 PM
Quote from: Yeti on May 17, 2010, 01:46:10 PM
As I was thinking about the differences between the series, I thought about what Stew said (BoB was about heroes and this was about guys surviving the war). One thing kind of struck in my mind, while war is, indeed, hell, the European front seems like it was the "Glorious" war compared to the Pacific. Obviously, the enemy was of a different breed. They were the first Americans had seen of guerrilla opponents. Anyway, the European war seems like it had more structure and was "cleaner". The Pacific side of things just seemed dirty, ruthless, and a bitch compared to the other. I may be wrong, but that is my gut feeling when comparing the two series.
Racist. This was a great series. It was inevitable that it would be compared to BoB, but I wouldn't say either one was "better" than the other. As you guys have pointed out they are both excellent, just in different ways.
Remember the episode of BoB where they were starving in the woods during the Battle of the Bulge, under constant artillery bombardment? The Pacific sustained that intensity for pretty much it's entire back half (from the landing at Peleliu to the end of episode 9). I felt like I didn't exhale until the end of each episode.
Anyone know if Hanks/Spielberg have any plans for another one of these series?
Slopes is cuhraaazzzeee
Quote from: R-V on May 17, 2010, 02:03:32 PM
Quote from: Yeti on May 17, 2010, 01:46:10 PM
As I was thinking about the differences between the series, I thought about what Stew said (BoB was about heroes and this was about guys surviving the war). One thing kind of struck in my mind, while war is, indeed, hell, the European front seems like it was the "Glorious" war compared to the Pacific. Obviously, the enemy was of a different breed. They were the first Americans had seen of guerrilla opponents. Anyway, the European war seems like it had more structure and was "cleaner". The Pacific side of things just seemed dirty, ruthless, and a bitch compared to the other. I may be wrong, but that is my gut feeling when comparing the two series.
Racist. This was a great series. It was inevitable that it would be compared to BoB, but I wouldn't say either one was "better" than the other. As you guys have pointed out they are both excellent, just in different ways.
Remember the episode of BoB where they were starving in the woods during the Battle of the Bulge, under constant artillery bombardment? The Pacific sustained that intensity for pretty much it's entire back half (from the landing at Peleliu to the end of episode 9). I felt like I didn't exhale until the end of each episode.
Anyone know if Hanks/Spielberg have any plans for another one of these series?
Springtime for Hitler?