Films

Started by fsn, 20 September 2014, 05:32:08 PM

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fsn

We've not had a rant about films recently, so please excuse me whilst I have a massive one about "Flyboys". This 2006 epic is based on the Escadron Lafayette; Americans flying for the French in WWI and stars James Franco as the farmboy who gets all moody and flies around a lot, and the marvellous Jean Reno looking a little bewildered as the Captain ably supported by Officer Crabtree from "Allo, Allo".

The characters are stereotypes. The mysterious ace who reluctantly takes to the young pilot, the well to do screw up who is only there because of his father and the black pilot who saves the screw up so they drink expensive wine together.

Then there's the girl who is hilariously mistaken as a prostitute, and the cool German ace with a sneer and the coolest aircraft art.

The string and paper aeroplanes make climbs and turns that modern aerobatic tams would drool over, and seemingly there is no danger of the wings coming off or the engine cutting out.

They start their operations in 1916 escorting O-400's (which first went into action in March 1917) fighting Fokker Dreideckers (which first went into action in August 1917). Mid way through the film they take on Zeppelin L32 (which was shot down over London in September 1916) escorted by the Fokkers, on its way to bomb Paris.  The heroes were told to take on the Zeppelin whist the rest of the squadron took on the fighters. The fat guy gets downed by the baddie in a distinctive black craft, and the hero is encouraged to "use the force" ... hang on ... wrong film ... but only just.

It's not like there isn't sufficient historical reference materials (especially about American units fighting wars before Uncle Sam gets involved) , so why do film makers constantly ignore them and make films guaranteed to irritate the sugar-how-item-tare out of those of us who read a book now and again?

"Flyboys" is full of teeth-grinding moments. The best thing I can say about this film is that it isn't as bad as "The Red Baron" from 2008.

I give it three "I don't want to see's" out of 5. X_X X_X X_X
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

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Fenton

Cant really disagree with any of that
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Duke Speedy of Leighton

What a great bad review! :D
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Hertsblue

No-one ever accused Hollywood of historical accuracy. "Artistic value" is far more important than strict verisimilitude.  >:( >:( >:( 
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Nosher

Its a well known fact that Hollywood won both wars singlehandedly.

Wont stop me watching it though as there hasn't been any war films released for sooooo long that I will wtach any sh*t that comes along!
I don't think my wife likes me very much, when I had a heart attack she wrote for an ambulance.

Frank Carson

ronan

Quote from: Hertsblue on 20 September 2014, 06:56:35 PM
(...) "Artistic value" is far more important than strict verisimilitude.  (...) 

I personnaly didn' t see many artistic values in this movie..  :-\

Quote from: Nosher on 20 September 2014, 07:00:41 PM
(...)Wont stop me watching it though as there hasn't been any war films released for sooooo long that I will wtach any sh*t that comes along!

That's why I watch this one  ;)

I tried to watch th new Stalingrad ( russian movie, 2013, from Fedor Bondarchuk ) and stopped after several minutes >:(

Leman

Why? Do not keep us in suspenders.
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Subedai

I've got a copy of the old German Stalingrad which is quite good.

I have been ordered to suspend my disbelief and shut the f**k up when watching war films.
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fsn

Any thoughts from the assembled panel on "The Patrol" or "I am a soldier"? British films from 2013/14?

They're contemporary, and I know more about WWI in the air than I do about what goes on in Afghanistan. 
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
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2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

ronan

Quote from: Dour Puritan on 20 September 2014, 08:00:38 PM
Why? Do not keep us in suspenders.

I don't want to keep you the "pleasure" to watch it by yourself !  :d
imho : poorly filmed, non-historical behaviour of the soldiers, etc.  I also didn't like the look, they didn't choose between reality and "anime". ( strange special effects in several scenes )

Quote from: Subedai on 20 September 2014, 08:44:40 PM
I've got a copy of the old German Stalingrad which is quite good.
(...)

I do like this one. ( The french one is more like a western..)
I also like some russians movies from the 70s and 80s  : "Come and See" (Иди и смотри) from Elem Klimov.  Germans and russians "knew" how to make movies about the war. But now, the russian politic may be interfering..

Ithoriel

As far as I know, Bondarchuk's Stalingrad was made with IMAX 3D in mind and it suffers if you don't see it in IMAX 3D.

It is heavily weighted in favour of the Russian  point of view. The Russians are all (more or less) heroes and the Germans are all (more or less) unmitigated villains. Even the one "good" German is merely less bad than the rest.

The German-made Stalingrad and even Enemy At The Gates were better, IMHO.

For war films made fairly recently that are worth watching I'd go for

Defiance, Kokoda: 39th Battalion, Saints and Soldiers, Days of Glory, Flags of our Fathers/ Letters from Iwo Jima, Paschendaele and War Horse.

For more up to date stuff, The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.
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barbarian

I'm enjoying Turn, an american show about spies during AWI.
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fsn

I'm still a big fan of "the Bridge" - the original 1950's West German version - not the remake.

I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of "Defiance". After 20 minutes I was cheering for the Germans. This is possibly because I think that Daniel Craig is about as much fun to watch as a dried paint. In the Bond films, I was cheering fro the Russians or whoever (those films are so awful, I can't remember who he was spying on) and in "Cowboys vs Aliens" I was hoping the thingy on his write would explode. In "Layer Cake"  ... well you get the picture.

"Kokoda: 39th Battalion" is an unsung gem, but I was disappointed in "the Hurt Locker". Don't know what I was expecting. 
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Nosher

I sat and watched the Great Escape with my 12 year old daughter yesterday.

It may be old but its still more watchable than some of the rubbish put out today which is all CGI. Proper war films seem to be out of fashion. I'd love to see remakes of Khartoum, Zulu Dawn, Charge of the Light Brigade etc.

Maybe the US could win those wars too? ;D
I don't think my wife likes me very much, when I had a heart attack she wrote for an ambulance.

Frank Carson