Avatar is Movie of the Year by a LANDSLIDE & Best Movie of the Last Hundred Years if ya ask me!!!!
The Hurt Locker is a 2 on a 5 scale. Not worth mentioning or even seeing!
The Oscars are now demoted to Grammys insignificance for being SO wrong.
Zoe Saldana is Best Actress too! :o
I guess it goes against the grain to award a sci-fi movie done in all CGI...
That is true. Science fiction movies rarely get full credit at the Oscars. Why? Because there seems to be some kind of arrogant attitude among some people that sci-fi isn't sophisticated enough I guess.
I haven't seen Hurt Locker yet.
If Avatar was best picture of the year last year, then each one of the Lord of the Rings movies should have been best picture when it came out. Avatar was a fine movie, but not necessarily a slam-dunk winner. It deserved an Oscar for special effects, but the story line, although moving and enjoyable, has been done many times in a variety of iterations.
I saw Hurt Locker and was happy it did well. It was a good character film and it was brutal without getting into your typical Hollywood preachy stuff. I don't know if it was any better than the others in any particular way - maybe a lesser flick than Crazy Heart - but it was certainly deserving.
I thought Avatar was a very fun movie to watch, but if I had to guess why it didn't win best picture it would probably be that it had a combination of things going against it. First, it was at best a formulaic movie, and at worst you could say it was a late 60s style western morality flick with the Indians turned into blue giant people. The whole noble savage thing was a little much, and when it comes to depth and intellect James Cameron isn't going to run away with anything. Secondly, the main characters were computer animated. That was spectacular, but at the end of the day they ain't real. So, with the academy tending reward craft and also tending to try to feel good about themselves, they went with the war flick that had real people in it vs the Cowboys and Indians in Space flick.
i always like it when human actors beat out cartoons.
as far as hurtlocker goes i heard an interview with real bomb squad soldiers who regard it as a joke. so unrealistic it's funny.
I haven't seen Avatar, but have heard really good things about it. I haven't heard much about The Hurt Locker. It doesn't sound particularly interesting, though.
Quote from: nofi on March 08, 2010, 05:35:52 PM
i always like it when human actors beat out cartoons.
as far as hurtlocker goes i heard an interview with real bomb squad soldiers who regard it as a joke. so unrealistic it's funny.
I don't know if I'm in the minority here, or if its just me or what, but I have absolutely NO interest in the Avatar movie at all, It just does nothing for me the story is Pocahontas with changed character names, and the rest is just all CGI, Im so sick of CGI its too easy and cheap to produce, like reality tv.
I haven't seen Hurt Locker, but plan on doing so, despite the apparent inaccuracies as far as some Vets are concerned (other Vets have said it's well done).
I really enjoyed Avatar, the 3D version is a visual feast and absolutely spectacular. Sure, the story line is not original and is totally predictable, but visually it was amazing, regardless of whether it was "real people" or CGI.
Like it or not, the Oscars are very political - any movie about a war that the US is currently fighting will always go close to winning, because of sentiment. Same story with the film that won it's category - the one about a dolphin slaughter in Japan - the anti whaling sentiment is running high at the moment, so was a great opportunity to stick it to the Japanese.
QuoteLike it or not, the Oscars are very political - any movie about a war that the US is currently fighting will always go close to winning, because of sentiment. Same story with the film that won it's category - the one about a dolphin slaughter in Japan - the anti whaling sentiment is running high at the moment, so was a great opportunity to stick it to the Japanese.
As far as The Cove, the concept of being anti-whaling is a no brainer for the academy, but they would be horrified at being seen as anti-Japanese. The Hollywood mindset is one in which they view themselves as being morally superior to pretty much anyone who embraces any social political or religious thought that would be disagreeable to the average theater major. Voting for The Cove would be a way of helping the Japanese be able to see how flawed they are by whaling. Asians are good, but any practices that would not fly in Hollywood are something they need to be educated about. I believe what you are saying about the Hurt Locker is that they are so suffocatingly pacifist, that any war movie where the main character is more or less unbalanced feeds their vibe, so I agree that they would like that. Beyond that sentiment, it is a well done flick. If you support the Iraq war, you would not walk out feeling you had sat through a Michael Moore movie. If you thought is was a horrid idea from the get go, you wouldn't change your mind, or really think about that a lot during the movie.
I was happy that Jeff Bridges won, as that was a great performance, and a well done movie. The music was authentic and good, and it just had to be good enough to keep up with the effort. Ok the Tommy Sweet stuff was a bit too easy. But it was great.
I haven't seen Precious, but I don't know that I ready to sit through anything that harrowing. I need to see the Blind Side eventually. The general feedback on it was she did a great character, but the flick was a bit syruppy.
QuoteFirst, it was at best a formulaic movie, and at worst you could say it was a late 60s style western morality flick with the Indians turned into blue giant people. The whole noble savage thing was a little much, and when it comes to depth and intellect James Cameron isn't going to run away with anything. Secondly, the main characters were computer animated. That was spectacular, but at the end of the day they ain't real. So, with the academy tending reward craft and also tending to try to feel good about themselves, they went with the war flick that had real people in it vs the Cowboys and Indians in Space flick.
That about nails it. No way did it deserve best picture, technically yes, but it was a cliche barrowed plot. Still a great movie I enjoyed.
I can't wait to see Prescious.........
Not!
Avatar is an impressive movie, yes, but it's not the kind of movie I want to see again... and again... and again...
I liked the fact Pixar's "Up" got the animation of the year prize. Much more interesting movie IMHO.
Terr, be reasonable, voting Avatar best flic would be like saying that a Linn drum machine is a better drummer than John Bonham. Would you agree with that?
I really liked Avatar, it was good fun and lovingly executed, but it was aimed to be and turned out to be a blockbuster. And the Oscars aren't and shouldn't be about blockbusters. Contrary to popular sentiment I can at least understand where most Academy Award choices/decisions are coming from even if I might not agree with them.
And as regards acting skills, there was nothing in Avatar that even for a second approached Christoph Waltz' spine-tingling, menacing, demonic and outright uncomfortable and unsettling impersonation of the SS officer in the first quarter of an hour in Inglorious Basterds:
(http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Christoph-Waltz.jpg)
That scene is up there with the best of what Marlon Brando did in Godfather Part I.
Avatar was OK in my book, nothing to jump up and down about. I'm also a fan of real people movies. The CGI stuff is what brings everyone in these days but not so much me. If cartoons are going to win all the aclaim, then bring back the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, shine up a boatload of trophies and give one to every characture in the show ;D
Rick
Quote from: rahock on March 09, 2010, 06:51:00 AM
If cartoons are going to win all the aclaim, then bring back the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, shine up a boatload of trophies and give one to every characture in the show ;D
Rick
It's hard to top dialogue like this:
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.
But that trick never works!
Nothin' up my sleeve...
Did anyone see the making of Avatar documentary?
I haven't, but I've heard it's been showing on cable.
I have seen some behind the scenes explanations of how Avatar was made in magazines tho.
The whole movie is filmed with real actors. The CGI work is useless without real characters to build on.
If you can't appreciate the performance of the super talented actress portraying the tigress shining thru all the CGI "makeup" then I feel sorry for ya.
There's no difference between regular costumes & makeup & CGI costumes & makeup except that the actors & actresses don't have to arrive on the set at 2am each day to get ready to shoot the film.
Planning to see Avatar for the 3rd time before it's taken out of theaters....
Quote from: Rhythm N. Bliss on March 09, 2010, 02:05:46 PM
If you can't appreciate the performance of the super talented actress portraying the tigress
But tigress' have vaginas.
I really did enjoy Avatar, and thought it well worth the money. It's beautiful visually, and I enjoyed that a lot.
I saw the 3-D version and didn't really know what to think about that aspect of it. Among my thoughts:
- They used a light touch on the 3-D, rather than having things fly out into the audience
- Because they used a light touch, I didn't really perceive a lot of 3-D effect in much of the film
- I HATE wearing 3-D glasses, and I always get a headache...but at least it was a small one this time
So if I see it again, it will be the 2-D version.
Quote from: Pilgrim on March 08, 2010, 04:56:00 PM
If Avatar was best picture of the year last year, then each one of the Lord of the Rings movies should have been best picture when it came out.
The problem the Academy had with LOTR was that of "timing", which is why the third film got a bucket-full... as Al infers, if they had given the first film a MAJOR Oscar, then it would be reasonable to presume that all three would have to get them... QED
The problem Cameron has is his genius... Manna for the masses...
Mr Cameron... all you need to do is make a true-to-life movie in black-and-white about someone who rescues loads of prisoners in imminent peril of death and lead them to freedom, then you're bound to get the Best Film Oscar... otherwise, you'll have to try and console yourself with yet another box-office winner... Oh yeah, well done for congratulating your ex so exhuberantly, after all, you knew it would not be yours... ;D
Quote from: Aussie Mark on March 09, 2010, 04:15:27 PM
But tigress' have vaginas.
This movie may not be R rated but it's such a skin-fest it is real close to being X! You just have to use your imagination a little.
They obviously cut the love scene short to keep it under 3 hours!!!
As discussed in a previous thread, we'll be seeing more of that mating ritual on the forthcoming DVD!!! Can't wait!
Saw it again last night in 3D & was noticing some probly intentional nipple slips!! ;)
Zoe Saldana is SO gooood. I wanna see more of her.... :o
I love the tigress & this film more & more with each viewing...Amazing!!!
Again~ It's a fokken TRAVESTY that this didn't get the award for Best Picture!
It's LIGHTYEARS beyond anything else. (pun intended) lol
It's mind-boggling how much work went into it.
Had to see it again on the Big Screen!!! Probly gonna be gone from theaters today.
It's been 3 months so I reckon that's about it.
They're thinking about a summer re-release.
Zoe Saldana's in the new Star Trek... Uhura...
Yeah! Gotta see that. ...& a movie comin' called The Losers
I suspect the Losers is based on a DC comic. Not the 70s The Losers with Captain Storm, but some new ting.
The Hurt Locker winning has torqued off a lot of vets. Some inaccuracies can be forgiven (you'll always have them, real military life, even in a war zone, isn't entertaining), but others are harder to swallow.
The most accurate part of that movie was the locals selling pirate DVDs on camp.
Edit: I don't want to sound like I hated the movie. It was a decent action movie. The parts that I'm not so okay with were mostly the behavior of the movie's makers. Their claims that it is an accurate portrayal of life in Iraq in 2004.
All that being said, I agree with Uwe. Inglorious Basterds was awesome. Not since Hogan's Heroes has anyone had any real fun with Nazis, and I was glad to see someone irreverent enough to do so again.
I watched Inglorious Basterds last night. You could sure it was a Tarantino movie....some of the music was spaghetti-western inspired, there was excess gore, and the plots in his movies never seem quite as tight as they should be.
That said, I would rate it as a good "B" movie. It's the kind that deserves to be on DVD within 30 days after theatrical release.
What's an "A" WWII movie?
Guns of Navarone...The Great Escape...The Longest Day.
"A" WWII movies for me = Patton, Tora,tora,tora and Battle of Britain
Saving Private Ryan has got to be up there...
Quote from: Pilgrim on March 09, 2010, 05:23:17 PM
I really did enjoy Avatar, and thought it well worth the money. It's beautiful visually, and I enjoyed that a lot.
I saw the 3-D version and didn't really know what to think about that aspect of it. Among my thoughts:
- They used a light touch on the 3-D, rather than having things fly out into the audience
- Because they used a light touch, I didn't really perceive a lot of 3-D effect in much of the film
- I HATE wearing 3-D glasses, and I always get a headache...but at least it was a small one this time
So if I see it again, it will be the 2-D version.
The only reason I didn't see it is because it's in 3D. That hurts my eyes so much it's unbearable; it has always been that way for me. Here it has only been available in 3D.
Quote from: TBird1958 on March 14, 2010, 12:13:31 PM
"A" WWII movies for me = Patton, Tora,tora,tora and Battle of Britain
Yes!
Patton would be another absolutely TOP A movie...without question.
I remember back when there were three networks and Patton aired on broadcast TV for the first time. it was an OCCASION. We invited another family over because we had a color TV and they didn't - we had pizza and popcorn and made it a party evening.
Quote from: TBird1958 on March 14, 2010, 12:13:31 PM
"A" WWII movies for me = Patton, Tora,tora,tora and Battle of Britain
also Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers.
"A" WWII movies for me = Patton, Tora,tora,tora and Battle of Britain
Quote from: Aussie Mark on March 14, 2010, 04:55:25 PM
also Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers.
I agree with the two Clint Eastwood films and of course Saving Private Ryan, but Patton, Tora, tora, tora and Battle of Britain were action movies in a WW II setting, nothing more or less and their historical accuracy is debatable, though nostalgia might put them in a more favorable light. BoB's redeeming features were really the original (or: Spanish) planes they used, the acting was pretty naff, the film might as well have been about a cricket game between England and Germany.
What those sixties war movies lacked was any in depth psychological analysis of what war does to you - I think it was Private Ryan who showed for the first time that in WW II even the good guys committed crimes (shooting of surrendering German soldiers from machine gun nests after being aggravated by the loss of friends gunned down previously). Or the way Private Ryan showed the shooting of wounded enemy soldiers by advancing soldiers, a routine measure in most wars, but never seen (at least by me) in those sixties war films where - the occasional sadistic Japanese or Nazi officer aside - both sides would be depicted as fighting with some chivalrous dignity.
Inglourious Basterds war gory at times, but it had some more perceptive insights. The fact that a black/jewish couple (everything the Nazis despised) would kill off the Nazi elite was nice irony or the scene where the captured German answers to Brad Pitt's question whether he got the Iron Cross for "killing jews" with the stoic "no, for valor" before having his head smashed in for not giving away German positions. Tarantino could be a much better film maker if, like the very smart kid that clowns in class, he would not have such a strong desire not to be taken too seriously.
And of course Inglourious Basterds was a B movie, Tarantino bent over backwards to make sure it was. Weirdly enough the film is widely appreciated by people who generally don't like war films at all. Or Tarantino films for that matter. It is certainly among his best stuff, the much lauded Kill Bill overstayed its welcome pretty quickly I thought.
How about "classically British movies..."
"Bridge On The River Kwai"
"The Dam Busters"
"Ice Cold In Alex"
"The Great Escape" (with a bit of US influence, I'll admit - "The Cooler King" himself...)
Kelly's Heroes, and Schindler's List must also be mentioned...
Damn...! nearly forgot a truly brilliant one... "Hell In The Pacific" - Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune iirc - awesome film...
Another personal fave - "Murphy's War" - if only for the scenes with the "Duck"
... And Uwe, shame forever be upon you for not mentioning one of the truly great pictures about Germany... "Das Boot" (which can only be viewed in German) I think I have all the available versions... sheer brilliance...
I'll agree to disagree with Uwe on Patton - IMO one of the great character portrayals every put on film....
Completely agree about "Bridge On The River Kwai"..........onf the great film classics, ranking up there with Lawrence of Arabia.
And I got The Great Escape on the first round - Steve McQueen's Cooler King was just icing on the cake in that movie.
For me Patton will always be a classic, it does draw heavily from his own memoir and Bradley's who was a technical advisor on the movie. Most of the small incidents in the movie are drawn from real life, and some of the visual images are quite good, in particular the scence from the battle of the Bulge where he joins his doggies as they march along behind a tank recovery vehicle - damn cool! I think it was George C. Scott's high point as an actor, he never played a role better.
Considering the state of movie making technology for the time I find Tora tora tora impressive too, no lame CGI! Check out the scene of the P-40s being strafed while trying to take off, the prop flies off of one and almost hits some guys - I doubt they planned it! The dogfight sequence with the P-40s is also good, with the Amis executing the one manuver that could actually allow them to escape a trailing Zero - a dive with a snap roll......Good technical advice on this film.
No love for David Bowie and "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence"? LOL
Excellent film, but more a Brokeback Mountain of the eighties (early nineties?) than a war movie.
Prison, concentration camp (Schindler's List) and escape movies, single character movies (Patton, Rommel etc), Third Reich movies (Der Untergang) and even those weapons duel scenarios between fighter planes, submarines or battle ships are not really war movies to me, they just use war as a background, sort of Top Gun in WW II.
Platoon and Saving Private Ryan are true war movies in my book, but I accept that my definition is a narrow one.
Don't know how I forgot Saving Private Ryan!
Sitting through the beach landing scene was one of the most impressive moments I've witnessed on film. I think it gave the viewer some sense of what it was like to be there.
I was watching the show Rotten Tomatoes and they showed how Lucus "did a Nick Simmons" or "payed homage" to the movie "Dam Busters" with Star Wars & The Death Star scene. Played side by side they feature almost identical camera shots, sequences & even dialogue that is almost spot on to Dam Busters.
I forgot what a cool movie Dam Busters was (or remember it).
Quote from: Pilgrim on March 15, 2010, 02:19:55 PM
And I got The Great Escape on the first round - Steve McQueen's Cooler King was just icing on the cake in that movie.
Oops...
Thought of another "props" movie... "The Cruel Sea"... oh yeah, and Curt Jurgens and Robert Mitchum in "The Enemy Below"
2 more classics...
Gonna have to try and find one now... believe it or not... never seen "Patton" (wanders back into the corner...)
My favorite WWII movie - Stalag 17
Peter Graves' death was sad, but to hear him only remembered for Airplane and Mission Impossible was tough. Space 1999 of course, but Stalag 17 is fantastic.
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Maybe just one word? Like Kaput? 'Cause you're Kaput, Price!
Stalag 17 is a great movie, but again more a prison drama than a war flic.
Quote from: Kenny Five-O on March 16, 2010, 05:11:53 PM
Oops...
Thought of another "props" movie... "The Cruel Sea"... oh yeah, and Curt Jurgens and Robert Mitchum in "The Enema Below"
2 more classics...
Gonna have to try and find one now... believe it or not... never seen "Patton" (wanders back into the corner...)
;)
You really do need to see Patton
das love boot and guns of navarone. also sink the bismark although it is a ww1 movie.
Sink The Bismark is a WWII flick.
Rick
Only the biplane that sunk it looked like it was from WW I so you're forgiven! :mrgreen:
(http://www.aircraft-list.com/keywords/Fairey_Swordfish/Fairey_Swordfish_43.jpg)
And the HMS Hood was an elderly lady from WW I too (or at least WW I technology).
Ah, the folly of man, one little biplane did what the Royal Navy could not ...
One of my favorites was the one about the Flying Tigers in China. Also a movie about de Havilland Mosquitos.
My biggest complaint about Patton & other 60-70's war movies was the use of allied equipment for the axis. Patton Tanks as German Tigers was a horrible as a child.
Quote from: Barklessdog on March 17, 2010, 01:04:37 PM
Also a movie about de Havilland Mosquitos.
Was that "633 Squadron"...?
Quote from: uwe on March 17, 2010, 12:45:43 PM
Ah, the folly of man, one little biplane did what the Royal Navy could not ...
Ah... the good ol' "Stringbag"... they were from Ark Royal iirc...? long time since I've seen the film...
Quote from: TBird1958 on March 17, 2010, 09:09:31 AM
You really do need to see Patton
I will do my utmost best, Ma'am, but I'm not so sure about the "Enema Below..." (The Seattle Enema Bandit, I heard she's on the loose...) ;D
QuotePatton Tanks as German Tigers
Amen. Nothing took the piss out of Battle Of The Bulge quicker than that. You'd have thought they could have dressed them up with some plywood to fake it better.
It almost ruined the Robert Shaw serenade. A lovely and catchy number called Panzerlied.
Wenn vor uns ein feindliches
Heer dann erscheint
Wird Vollgas gegeben
Und ran an den Feind!
Was gilt denn unser Leben
Für unsres Reiches Heer?
Ja Reiches Heer?
Für Deutschland zu sterben
Ist uns höchste Ehr.
CHOCOLATE CAKE! FROM BOSTON!
;D
I recall a line in that movie to the effect of "Even if we lose the war, we're still the best toymakers"
It's a testament to George C. Scott's superior acting abilities that I was shocked later in life to find that he was the polar opposite of Patton in temperament, politics, and world outlook. It was really hard at first to square that guy with the badass that starred in Patton.
Big props to Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Great movie.
I dimly remember seeing Sink The Bismarck when it came out (1960). I remember it as being a powerful film, but memory after 50 years is understandably dim.
I mentioned Guns of Navarone earlier - IMO a great Alistair MacLean novel, well adapted and making a great and well-cast film which is now almost forgotten.
Quote from: eb2 on March 17, 2010, 03:53:23 PM
Amen. Nothing took the piss out of Battle Of The Bulge quicker than that. You'd have thought they could have dressed them up with some plywood to fake it better.
It almost ruined the Robert Shaw serenade. A lovely and catchy number called Panzerlied.
Wenn vor uns ein feindliches
Heer dann erscheint
Wird Vollgas gegeben
Und ran an den Feind!
Was gilt denn unser Leben
Für unsres Reiches Heer?
Ja Reiches Heer?
Für Deutschland zu sterben
Ist uns höchste Ehr.
CHOCOLATE CAKE! FROM BOSTON!
I am impressed with your knowledge of German poetry! :mrgreen:
Yes, that was embarrassing, using Patton tanks as Tigers and Panthers. :rolleyes: Spielberg at least dug out a low-profile, fixed turret Jagdpanther or Jagdtiger for Sgt Ryan (they were cheaper and quicker to build than their turreted cousins which was crucual due to wartime Germany's dearth of resources in 1944). The US war machine had many qualities and abilities, building a decent tank wasn't among them though. So really ... Pattons as Tigers was adding insult to injury. :mrgreen:
QuoteI am impressed with your knowledge of German poetry!
Aww, merely cut and paste. I have known about the lyrics for ages, but don't remember them. I have known the tune since I was 6 years old though. There was a period of time after they showed it on TV one night that we would line up in the school hall in the afternoon for recess, then one kid would start stomping his feet. The next thing you would have a bunch of kids trying to sing the song. The tune was right, but it sounded like a cross between the Hitler Youth and Sid Caesar.
I was even more impressed by the motorcycle/halftrack. When Sgt Ryan first came out, the local radio must have spent a couple of hours talking about the motorcycle alone, and there were a couple of guys who have them. Apparently it was a popular surplus item in the 50's.
I suppose that is the problem with making a war film set in Europe. Finding a Sherman is easy. Seeing a Patton posing as a German tank is horrible.
I have no worries for the Pacific other than what Tom Hanks will say next. Most people wouldn't know a Japanese tank from anything. If they even have them, they will probably dress up a Stuart.
I just learned three things:
1. We've collectively and most likely posthumously promoted the saved Private Ryan to Sgt. Ryan! ;D
2. Two "Tigers" were involved, a turretless Jagdtiger and a turreted Tiger I (the Kingtigers only came out around end of 44, but if you ask me the Jagdtiger might have been a bit early for Normandy too as he was built on a Kingtiger chassis).
3. Spielberg lied to us as well, but he did a better job than the director of The Battle of the Bulge. The Tigers in Private Ryan are - wait for it! - T-34s!!! :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
"The two Tiger tanks featured in Saving Private Ryan are reproductions built on the chassis of Russian T-34 tanks. Operational Tiger I's are extremely rare, and could not have been used for rigorous film production, let alone a movie in which the plot requires one of them to be destroyed.
The T-34 was chosen because of its overall size and barrel height. The reproductions were based on measurements taken of a Tiger I at the Tank Museum in Bovington, England, and were constructed by Plus Film Services. The upper hull and turret were sized to proportionally match the chassis of the T-34. Band of Brothers, the HBO mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, used a similar construction process to recreate Tiger I tanks out of readily available T-34s."
But that is at least not an insult. The T-34 was a mighty fine tank, durable, well-armoured, but not too heavy, excellent fire power and much quicker bolted together than any German tank. The Russians, which in the twenties and early thirties had secretly produced German tanks (helping Germany circumvent the Versailles Treaty which disallowed tank production), had obviously kept a few plans and some experience when they began designing the T-34 (which was superior to any German or otherwise Allied tank when it was introduced). So I can live with dressed-up Russkies pretending to be German Panzers! ;)
Well, then I have an added level of admiration for Lt Col Ryan. T-34s modded to be look-alike Tigers is fine by me. What would have been even better, and added realism, is a T-34 with a couple of crosses added so it would have been a captured T-34. The Panzer crews and I probably would have preferred a Panther, but they loved their fleets of captured T-34s. Helluva good tank.
Didn't we have the vids of the T-34 being hauled out of a bog in Poland or Russia on the old Dude Pit? When it came out it had German crosses on the turret. Fantastic.
(http://www.achtungpanzer.com/images/t34ct.jpg)
Known users of captured T-34/76 tanks were numerous along with many unrecorded ones. For example on October 15th of 1941, 1st Panzer Division's 1st Panzer Regiment had some 6 T-34/76 Model 1940 and 1941 tanks. Along with 1st Panzer Division, T-34/76 tanks were in service with 2nd Panzer Division, 9th Panzer Division (33rd Panzer Regiment), 10th Panzer Division (7th Panzer Regiment), 11th Panzer Division, 20th Panzer Division (21st Panzer Regiment) and 23rd Panzer Division. Number of T-34/76 tanks was still in service in 1945, for example with 23rd Panzer Division in Slovakia and East Prussia. Along with Panzer Divisions, number was used by 18th Panzergrenadier Division and 98th Infantry Division. In the summer of 1943, few captured T-34/76 tanks were even operated by Italian crews. According to original German captured tank inventories as of July of 1943 there were 28 T-34(r) as part of Army Group South and 22 as part of Army Group Center.For example from July 10th to July 14th of 1943, 6th Panzer Division operated 2 captured T-34 tanks. In September of 1943, "RONA" (Russian Army of Liberation) commanded by Mieczyslaw Kaminski operated some 24 captured T-34/76 tanks against Soviet partisans in Byelorussia. T-34/76 was held in high regard and also elite units such as Panzergrenadier Division "Grossdeutschland" (Panzer Regiment "Grossdeutschland") used some captured examples as late as 1945.
Waffen-SS units also did not hesitate to use captured T-34/76 tanks and 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" and 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" pressed significant number into service. T-34/76 tanks used by "Das Reich" are of particular interest. When in March of 1943, SS Panzer Corps recaptured Kharkov, some 50 various models of T-34/76 tank were captured. All of those were being repaired in a local tractor (tank) factory that was overrun and designated as SS Panzerwerk (SS Tank Workshop). Shortly after they were repaired along with being modified to German standards, repainted and marked with German markings. Modifications included installation of commander's cupola (from damaged Panzerkampfwagen III and IV tanks), Schuerzen (armor skirts) and other equipment such as Notek light, storage boxes, tools, radio equipment and antenna. 25 of them entered service with newly created 3rd SS Panzer Battalion of 2nd SS Panzer Regiment of 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich".
And it's not like the Allies did not return the favor ...
Russian comrades celebrating their new Panthers:
(http://www.wio.ru/tank/capt/sov-pant.jpg)
Amerikaner experiencing what it is like to drive a real tank:
(http://www.fprado.com/armorsite/TIGER-2%20PICS/KTiger-sPzAbt506-Captured.jpg)
No doubt, the advertising slogan of a US oil company of "putting a Tiger in your tank" had its origins here. :mrgreen:
Now that we're headed to Russia, what did people think of Enemy At The Gates, where Jude Law plays a Russki sniper racking up Gereman officer kills in Stalingrad and Ed Harris plays a German sharpshooter trying to hunt him down. Includes a sex in public scene with Rachel Weiss, where Jude and Rachel get it on with 20 or 30 other Russian soldiers asleep on the floor next to them.
The Stalingrad set was very well done, and it has a good level of suspense. Ed Harris did a good job on his character.
Excellent thought!
Enemy at the Gates was stunning - it conveyed an incredible sense of the way the Soviets fed men into the grinder and just kept doing so while shredded bodies fell by the wayside. A very powerful bu unfortunately underrated movie. Both Jude Law and Ed Harris did top-notch jobs, and it was very interesting to see Bob Hoskins as Nikita Khrushchev. I saw Nikita K on TV as a young man, and it never occurred to me that earlier in life he was very much under pressure to perform as a military commander.
While we are following General Patton's hoped-for 1946 campaign eastward, I am amshamed to have intially overlooked one of my all time favorite war flicks. I guess in the WWII spirit I tend to think of the friendly Chinese of 30 Seconds Over Tokyo instead of the dreaded Chicoms who brought us the Chosin Resevoir Massacre. So I have to give my nod to a fantastic war movie, Pork Chop Hill. Nothing says I hate you like smoking a cigarette and slowly removing your translator headphones.
Enemy at the Gates was very good (it had horrible reviews in Germany for allegedly reducing the horror of Stalingrad for all concerned to an apolitical sniper duel), all three major roles (commie sniper, commie political commissar and the kraut sniper) were well played and it was a releif to for once see a political commissar not just as some bureaucrat commie henchman, but as a communist patriot and a man with ethics too. And I agree, it gave you an idea of Stalingrad just as Full Metal Jacket gave you an idea of urban war in a Vietnamese city.
Quote from: OldManC on March 17, 2010, 07:47:03 PM
It's a testament to George C. Scott's superior acting abilities that I was shocked later in life to find that he was the polar opposite of Patton in temperament, politics, and world outlook. It was really hard at first to square that guy with the badass that starred in Patton.
Good point! He absolutely lived that role - and it was antithetical to his real personality. I completely believed his portrayal.
He was great in Hard Core.
An often overlooked, but VERY good US-Pacific themed WWII movie is the The Thin Red Line. It was eclipsed in popularity by Pvt. Ryan, which came out shortly after to more more publicity, but was superior in many ways. In it, just to hear Woody Harrelson say, "I blew my butt off!" without a hint of comedy tells you lots about that movie.
Anybody else bought the DVD and was surprised by the 16/9 format...?
Looks likely that an extended version will be in the cinemas for the summer and a special ed. DVD for Christmas...