Watching war films.......yikes

[eddiesolo]

One of the good points of Saving Ryan was that they tried to get 99% correct. The Tigers are actually modified T-34's the give away is the wheels, but still a cracking job on converting. There is also a 1950's telephone on the wall in the farmhouse.

Si

[Guest]

Best "war era" film ..... Ice cold in Alex ......nuff said!

watched loads of war films, this is the only one i would watch again intentionally (and have done several times)

I prefer science-fiction .... its all in the imagination so there's no problems with facts being wrong.

[Guest]

And I won't even touch "red talis".

The big problem there is the producer himself, George Lucas.

He did it not because it would be accurate, he did it because "it would look cool". Hence my disaffection with star wars now. SW was one of my favorite SF series' . But in recent years I have become more discerning and expect a higher degree of accuracy and consistency with my film choices (star trek is starting to fall into a similar category, but i don't think will be nearly as reviled as star wars has become). I think the crack first appeared right around 'the battle of hoth' in Empire strikes back. After that, it looks like Lucas has no idea how to move the story forward, and just starts making it up as he goes along.

Nowhere is this effect more obvious than the shield generator scene in "return of the jedi". Why was it necessary for Han and Co. to go down to the forest world to 'clandestinely destroy the generator complex -through the back door, miles away, b.t.w.'?, when the alliance could easily have bombarded the installation from orbit (they brought enough capital ships). Or if you don't like that, why couldn't they have detailed a detachment of A-wings to go down and do the job, it's not like they'd be missed. (I'm really just getting started on all the errors I've been finding); as a result, I have coined a new term. "Lucasism": not because it's logical, practical or makes any kind of sense, but because it would look "cool".

[stona]

U 571 is an insult to the men of HMS Bulldog who famously retrieved a machine and documents from U 110 and attempted to retrieve the entire submarine. Worse, it is disrespectful to the memory of the men who died retrieving another (along with code books and settings) from U 559.

Hollywood can re-write history but I will remember Lieutenant Anthony Fasson, Able Seaman Colin Grazier.

It is a film which you can probably tell makes my blood boil.

Steve

[Guest]

One of the best British military films & my favourite I saw it at the Odeon Tolworth & thought at the time, as then a late teenager, it showed absolute British ingenuity stubbornness & success.

It was true to the actual event. Read both books & also the Captain was on set as the film was being produced. A great film which shows the character of the people in the actual event.

The film also uses the actual Royal Navy Ship. Also as I was about 11 years at the time 1949 it is most pertinent. It also portrays a Sunderland flying boat in the real.

The sloop, as called, looks more like today's frigate. She took damage & was stranded up a river with the Captain dead with an number of the crew also killed & many more injured

The film was a new form taken from television, Wilcox, Ambler with close ups of the actors in the film a new form present today but not then. And all in black & white.

It shows how meals were prepared it shows life on board at that time including the ship's cat. It has some humour. It shows the bosun looking after his men.

Above all it shows the Royal Navy & it's officers & ratings at it's & their best brave aggressive and with absolute courage.

Guessed may be not. HMS Amethyst attacked as said "on her lawful duties" in the Yangste river.

She escaped out of the river with a diminished crew & a replacement Captain.

On having escaped, a quite remarkable journey with out charts, the Captain, Commander Kerans signalled "Have rejoined the fleet south of Woosung ... No damage... No casualties....God save the King!"

The King replied "Spice the Mainbrace".

The film "Yangste Incident"

Laurie

[Ian M]

....Nowhere is this effect more obvious than the shield generator scene in "return of the jedi". Why was it necessary for Han and Co. to go down to the forest world to 'clandestinely destroy the generator complex -through the back door, miles away, b.t.w.'?, when the alliance could easily have bombarded the installation from orbit (they brought enough capital ships). Or if you don't like that, why couldn't they have detailed a detachment of A-wings to go down and do the job, it's not like they'd be missed. (I'm really just getting started on all the errors I've been finding); as a result, I have coined a new term. "Lucasism": not because it's logical, practical or makes any kind of sense, but because it would look "cool".

I think that the reason they had to go in via a "back door" instead of blowing the place to bits from space, might just of had something to do with their target was the shield generator that was preventing any one attacking them from "outside" the shield.....

Ian M

[Guest]

I think that the reason they had to go in via a "back door" instead of blowing the place to bits from space, might just of had something to do with their target was the shield generator that was preventing any one attacking them from "outside" the shield.....Ian M

2 words ...Orbital bombardment.

Just saturate the area and have done. And an entire "legion of my best troops" being beaten by a-technological teddy bears!?" --You mean a legion of your slacker troops and rejects, right? I think all you'd have to do is just take out one of the tower support legs and watch the whole thing fall down. Even if not, the beam would no longer be on target.

The only excuse for that scene was to find a way (any way) to separate Luke from the rest of the team, so he could have his showdown with vader and the emperor aboard the station. I hate George Lucas with a passion that can only be dreamed of...

[Guest]

And on a similar vein, why did the empire not just blast the rebel base to bits from space, instead of sending down a team of AT-AT walkers? It was exactly the same result anyway. Reason: It wouldn't be as visually exciting. The ground battle was totally pointless and unnecessary.

Back to the Lucasism - because it would look cool.

I have analyzed this whole thing to death, in a vain and pathetic attempt for me to keep liking it. But it's so fragile, every time I get near it, or try to pick it up, I put another hole in it.

[Guest]

Older movies still had really obvious mistakes in them, take the Lancaster's in The Dambusters, if you look when they are doing their runs, they have machine gun fire coming from the tips of the wings!Modern movies do try to rewrite history , like U-571 the American's finding the Enigma machine !

Adrian

I just finished watching U-571 for the first time ...gotta say I didn't think I'd be laughing at the end of the movie, laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.

Oh man, technical inaccuracies abound, where to even begin!

Great film for an unintentional comedy, highly recommended for anyone who is a fan or is knowledgeable of submarine combat and or tactics.(-as I am). Movie challenge --try to guess at exactly which point they actually got killed. Once that moment happened for me, I knew nothing I saw after that was possible, so the drama and tension totally disappeared.

[Dave W]

I think you are all getting a bit carried away with the Starwars thing.I mean,it's for kids,Innit?!!.Im a big Sci Fi fan ,but prefer stuff like Babylon 5 and the remake of the Battlestar Galactica series.As for films,I think 'Dune' was pretty good.I wish they'd made a film of the second book.

[downscale model art]

One of the good points of Saving Ryan was that they tried to get 99% correct. The Tigers are actually modified T-34's the give away is the wheels, but still a cracking job on converting. There is also a 1950's telephone on the wall in the farmhouse.Si

best depiction ever of REAL gunfire. bloody frightening. ps, just seen a youtube clip of a royal navy goalkeeper gun being fired. the sound of it is terrifying!

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

And on a similar vein, why did the empire not just blast the rebel base to bits from space, instead of sending down a team of AT-AT walkers? It was exactly the same result anyway. Reason: It wouldn't be as visually exciting. The ground battle was totally pointless and unnecessary.Back to the Lucasism - because it would look cool.

I have analyzed this whole thing to death, in a vain and pathetic attempt for me to keep liking it. But it's so fragile, every time I get near it, or try to pick it up, I put another hole in it.

OK, to defend the Star wars universe,,,,,

1, Empire "holes" they had to land outside the rebel shield generators, as quoted in the film,, once the shield generators are down you may commence your landing Lord Vader.

2, Jedi plot holes,, the shield that protects the 2nd Death Star also protects the generator on Endor, forcing a team to go disable it.

If you read the books it clearly covers both these points

If you want plot holes, ask yourself why Vader cant remember living in Tattooine?

Why they only wipe one of the droids memory?

Why does Padme not age yet Anakin ages about 15 years in one film?

Now BSG, great remake but waaaaaaaaaaaaay too involved with all the moral issues, original BSG was fun and not an attempt to probe each characters inner thoughts, as for Baltar and the cylon sex, simply put there to get male viewers wanting more.

Adrian

[Guest]

I thought we were on the authenticity of war movies here. How can you debate the authenticity of Star Wars for goodness sake?!!!

It's Science Fiction, the clue is in the second word.

[Guest]

I thought we were on the authenticity of war movies here. How can you debate the authenticity of Star Wars for goodness sake?!!!It's Science Fiction, the clue is in the second word.

You beat me to it .... As I said above it is imagination .... There's no ''facts'' to argue

[Guest]

There we go my biggest disappointment in the last 10 secs I thought Star Wars was real. Seems real especially that big slug thing.

Laurie