HBO's The Pacific official trailer (follow up to Band of Brothers)

[DeToxRox]

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Trailer: HBO's 'The Pacific'!

At long last, here's the trailer for HBO's "The Pacific," the long-awaited follow-up to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's beloved WWII war epic "Band of Brothers."


"The Pacific" has reportedly a budget around $200 million which, if correct, would almost certainly make it the most expensive TV project of all time. The new mini has quite a legacy to live up to when it debuts next year. Though its initial post-9/11 run on HBO was relatively lackluster, "Band of Brothers" kept gathering fans as the years passed. Runs on basic cable networks such as History Channel followed. The DVD set for "Brothers" still manages to float into the top ranks of Amazon's best-selling DVDs (and is currently selling great in Blu-ray).

[Logan]

Looking forward to it.

[DaddyTorgo]

really? fucking awesome

[spleen1015]

It will kick ass.

[DanGarion]

So awesome. This one I will hold dear to my heart because it's where my grandfather fought.

[DaddyTorgo]

my grandfather flew transports over normandy (first paratroopers and later other supplies and such) but this still looks sweet!

[Mustang]

Looks like I'll have to get HBO for a short time to watch this.

[Celeval]

How soon can I add this to Netflix? Quality.

[Lorena]

Looks awesome

[stevew]

Debating whether I will get HBO for the 2 to 3 months requirerd or just buy the DVD set.

[Icy]

I'm really looking forward for this. Band of brothers is my all time fav serial and i have watched it like 5 times if not more.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Woohoo! Can't wait for this one.

BTW, if anyone hasn't pick up the Band of Brothers series yet, the Blu-ray version is absolutely incredible.

[Icy]

Woohoo! Can't wait for this one.

BTW, if anyone hasn't pick up the Band of Brothers series yet, the Blu-ray version is absolutely incredible.

Umm good advice, i have it downloaded from TV streams so the quallity is just average to not to say bad. I'm going to see if it is available in Spain, else maybe in amazon to import it.

This could be my first bluray in 2 years since i bought my Ps3.

[Icy]

Dola, found it, but damn, 77,00 € that is over $100.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Dola, found it, but damn, 77,00 € that is over $100.

Just wait on it. It goes on sale periodically. A site had it the other day for $27.

[JeeberD]

How soon can I add this to Netflix? Quality.

HBO seems to take forever to get their shows out on DVD. So no time soon, I would guess...

[JeeberD]

Dola-

I can't find any mention of The Pacific on HBO's website. When is it supposed to start being aired?

Edit: Nevermind. Wiki says March '10...damn.

[flere-imsaho]

Really looking forward to this. Caught one episode of BoB on History channel on Father's Day (they were re-running the whole series) and it reminded me why it's perhaps my favorite television ever.

Occasionally I go around trying to convince people that BoB should be required curriculum for High School American History classes. Hopefully this will be more of the same.

[CleBrownsfan]

I just ordered BoB Blue-Ray from Amazon (for $54). I have yet to see this series and you guys sold me on it... looking forward to watching it!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Dola, found it, but damn, 77,00 € that is over $100.

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but I found it for sale on Amazon.uk for much cheaper than that assuming I properly used the currency converter. Looks like around 30 Euros (plus shipping).

Band Of Brothers - HBO Complete Series [Blu-ray] [2001]: Damian Lewis, David Schwimmer, Robin Laing, Dexter Fletcher, James Madio, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, Phil Alden Robinson: Amazon.co.uk: DVD (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001DEAAIY?tag=bluraycom-21)

[Icy]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but I found it for sale on Amazon.uk for much cheaper than that assuming I properly used the currency converter. Looks like around 30 Euros (plus shipping).

Band Of Brothers - HBO Complete Series [Blu-ray] [2001]: Damian Lewis, David Schwimmer, Robin Laing, Dexter Fletcher, James Madio, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, Phil Alden Robinson: Amazon.co.uk: DVD (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001DEAAIY?tag=bluraycom-21)

Yup, i saw that one too, but it doesn't say if it's the multi-language version (English, Spanish, French, German). I guess so, as most of euro releases include all those languages, but it only says English subs in that amazon one.

I saw the multi-language version in an Spanish online shop and it's there were it costs 77€.

Anyway i'm now thinking on picking it from amazon as i guess i can understand most of the English talk and use the English subs if i don't underestand something. Could be fun to hear the real actors voices instead of the translated ones.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Premiere date is set. March 14, 2010. Saw the newest trailer for this series on HBO the other night before the boxing match. I started giggling like a little school girl. Looks epic. It's going to be a long 3 month wait. Trailer is linked inside article below.

HBO's 'The Pacific' gets air date--The Live Feed | THR (http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/12/hbos-the-pacific-gets-air-date.html)

[DaddyTorgo]

awesome...thanks for the linky mbbf

[saldana]

Looks like I'll have to get HBO for a short time to watch this.


+1 easily worth the 15 bucks a month or whatever DTV will charge me.

[Icy]

Really really waiting for this!

[Dutch]

I'm not sure if this is a newer trailer or not. I'm ready pretty much right now for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e99B80crU3E

[DanGarion]

I'm not sure if this is a newer trailer or not. I'm ready pretty much right now for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e99B80crU3E

It's dated July 13, 2009.

[DrAFTjunkie]

I can't wait, hope it's good. It'll be damn hard to live up to the original, which was effing amazing. I've seen that entire series upwards of half a dozen times, although I've only been able to watch the companion doc. "We Stand Alone" once because it transformed me into a blubbering mess.

Should be interesting to see the Pacific front, where my grandfather fought. Maybe we'll even get to see when Cotton Hill gets his shins blowed off by Tojo after he kills fitty men.

[Scoobz0202]

I really don't want to wait another two months. Just watching the trailers, and after having seen Band of Brothers numerous times I have not anticipated a television or cinema release this much... ever. Two more months? DAMN IT

[Crapshoot]

$200M for a mini-series? Wow.

[Peregrine]

Damn, this trailer - what can you say. Damn.

Trailer #5 - The Pacific (http://www.hbo.com/the-pacific/index.html#/the-pacific/about/video/trailer-5.html/eNo1jMEKgkAQQBFBqF-oMtAhOtievAgS4T2E+oFJp3Zgdbbd2ci-L5KOj-d46za3O3HDaUI3K-cdPuiMI+WSP-cvHkj+ppVJ6a1FNGqp9NjznXuDN0lqfqHRgOwolNXB6ugM1BAtBqrBS1RQWWVZscGk4h3OjYZExfFCgSnWcLUE3fL8wjKCbfUBTxM2hA==)

[Scoobz0202]

My HBO on-demand has a bunch of little things for the show with character profiles and a 20 minutes making of. Check it out if you guys have On-Demand.

[Bad-example]

My HBO on-demand has a bunch of little things for the show with character profiles and a 20 minutes making of. Check it out if you guys have On-Demand.

Nice catch. Thanks.

[Dutch]

I keep telling myself this can't possibly match up against Band of Brothers, but these trailers show a confidence that it's ready for the comparison.

I can't wait!

[Peregrine]

Yeah Band of Brothers was so great because you get to see the comraderie of the unit and watch these guys from Day 1 - I don't get the feeling you will really have that here since it will be following individuals instead of a unit, but from everything I've seen so far they are certainly going all out in doing the best they can with this. Can't wait either.

[saldana]

when does this start...i need to call DTV to get HBO turned on.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

when does this start...i need to call DTV to get HBO turned on.

See post #22.

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - HBO's The Pacific official trailer (follow up to Band of Brothers) (http://osatwork.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=2187056&postcount=22)

[bob]

Can someone with iTunes please check how much the full season of The Pacific is going to cost? I don't particularly feel like paying for 3 months of HBO just to watch this, but I don't really want to download / install iTunes just to check the price if one of you guys can check it for me.

Thanks.

[Icy]

Can someone with iTunes please check how much the full season of The Pacific is going to cost? I don't particularly feel like paying for 3 months of HBO just to watch this, but I don't really want to download / install iTunes just to check the price if one of you guys can check it for me.

Thanks.

How can i check how much will it cost? by now in Itunes i see 9 chapters that are just trailers, interviews, etc and all them are listed as free.

Here you can see the link to the store by web:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hbo-films/id145942017

[bob]

Honestly I"m not sure. I know you can pre-order albums on there, so I just assumed you could do the same with TV shows. Thanks for looking for me.

[Sun Tzu]

March 14?!?! For christs sake that's only 8 days away.

[EagleFan]

March 14?!?! For christs sake that's only 8 days away.

Looking forward to it!!!

[Scoobz0202]

March 14?!?! For christs sake that's only 8 days away.


FUUUUUUCCCCCC

[Sun Tzu]

FUUUUUUCCCCCC

this reminded me of...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v429/Tress85/fuuuuu.png

[EagleFan]

Anyone catch Tom Hanks with Regis? He seemed a bit out of it when talking. First talking about being on with Regis and Kathy Lee (and seemed confused when confronted about it benig Kelly) and then was talking about Regis' daughter getting married soon... problem is Regis' daughter had been married for a few years already.

[Sun Tzu]

Anyone catch Tom Hanks with Regis? He seemed a bit out of it when talking. First talking about being on with Regis and Kathy Lee (and seemed confused when confronted about it benig Kelly) and then was talking about Regis' daughter getting married soon... problem is Regis' daughter had been married for a few years already.

I hear your memory starts going downhill after you get shot and killed in WWII.

[flere-imsaho]

I hear your memory starts going downhill after you get shot and killed in WWII.

Speaking of which, I saw Saving Private Ryan again last night. That never gets old.

[stevew]

Hmmm, on demand question.

Theoretically I could just sign up for HBO for the last month that this is on, and then watch the previous episodes on On Demand, right?

Someone lemme know once it starts. I really don't feel like paying something like 60 dollars for a miniseries.

[spleen1015]

Yes, you can do that.

I know with Comcast, there is a penalty fee if you turn on a premium channel then turn it off. I don't know how much and I don't remember how long you need to leave it on before the penalty. I just remember them telling me this the last time I made changes to my service.

[Bad-example]

Top mark (5/5) from Tim Goodman.

Beyond the fact that HBO's ambitious new miniseries, "The Pacific," is a superb, viscerally moving and harrowing depiction of World War II and a worthy complement to "Band of Brothers" (2001), it offers a resounding yes to a nagging question: Do we really need another movie about World War II?

In recent years, the "Greatest Generation" canon has pervaded popular culture via books, movies and documentaries. When Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks did "Saving Private Ryan" for the big screen in 1998 and followed it with "Band of Brothers" for HBO three years later, some saw these works as a kind of nostalgic look at a previous style of warfare - less like the Persian Gulf War and the onrush of nationless terrorism. ("Band of Brothers" aired the first two hours - of 10 total - two days before the Sept. 11 attacks.)

Tom Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation" also came out in 1998 (as did the movie "The Thin Red Line"). Add more books and media saturation, and you have the runaway veneration of a generation.

It seemed that the entertainment industry had exhausted films about Vietnam and found the ongoing Iraq war too ever-present, a "living room war" that kept people from heading to the box office for contemporary takes on desert warfare.

Finally, documentarian Ken Burns relented from his stance that World War II was overdone and produced "The War," an epic and arguably definitive film that spanned more than 18 hours.
A different war

Why pile on "The Pacific"? Executive producers Spielberg and Hanks have said that veterans who fought there had pleaded for their story to be told because Americans were all too familiar with the war in Europe but not with what happened on the tiny islands of the Pacific, where their experiences were wholly different.

If war is hell, then the veterans of battles of the Pacific said theirs was a particular kind of hell. And many of them were dying off without having that story told (the same impetus that eventually got Burns to do his documentary).

Spielberg and Hanks also found compelling source material from two of the three main figures they follow in the 10-part weekly series. The books "Helmet for My Pillow" by Robert Leckie and "With the Old Breed" by Eugene B. Sledge inform the series from beginning to end.

"The Pacific" follows the intertwined stories of Leckie (James Badge Dale), Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and the highly decorated John Basilone (Jon Seda), while also weaving in countless other characters whose stories and journeys are fleshed out in a reflective, cathartic narrative. These were Marines who went in first and took the brunt.

Even if you think "the Greatest Generation" story has been told enough, the moniker stretched thin and dipped in revisionist nostalgia, "The Pacific" is, like Burns' documentary, a work that provokes awe.

It's the kind of fact-based fiction where the actual storytelling - who these soldiers are when we meet them and how their lives played out - is secondary to what they saw, endured and suffered.

That is to say that even if you learn that one of these real-life characters survived to marry his sweetheart and leave behind a string of grandchildren, there are no happy endings here.
The jungle

The battles of the Pacific were horrific, played out in an unfamiliar environment and resulted in among the worst casualty rates of the war (the Americans were facing an enemy that believed in death before dishonor, and so rarely surrendered).

A string of writers and directors (and mostly unrecognizable young actors) have managed to create a war film that takes its toll on the viewer in a way few films have.

"The Pacific" is exceptionally graphic, relentless in its imagery of waves of American and Japanese soldiers being wiped out both en masse and randomly, from Guadalcanal to Peleliu and Iwo Jima. There's barely any letup because the overriding visual ambition is to saturate you in the mud, rain and hell of each island.

Spielberg has explained that the anti-Europe, unfamiliar jungle - "a ubiquitous organism," he said - is an important character in the miniseries. "The jungle killed many good soldiers during World War II, and in our film it becomes a Hieronymus Bosch landscape."

What "The Pacific" does exceptionally well is wallow in the minutiae of what turns young fearful soldiers into jaded and spent killing machines. Holding on to humanity proves quite elusive. There's no gung-ho here.

The randomness of who lives and dies and the suffering even beyond the actual fighting - everything from relentless rain and lack of food and water to poor or pointless commands from above - eventually take their toll.

"The Pacific" doesn't spend much time at home to delve into the postwar toll - how these parents of the Baby Boomers never talked much about what they saw or did (until their later years in the rush of "Greatest Generation" coverage); the series focuses instead on how their souls and minds were broken in their youth.

In that, "The Pacific" is a reminder. Yes, you've seen World War II war movies. Yes, war - modern warfare included - is hell. But especially in the Pacific in the early 1940s - time, place, strategies, weaponry, opponent - there was a unique combination that merits continued exploration, whether through fact-based fiction or documentaries. There really was a special kind of hell in the Pacific, and the people who fought in it were of a remarkable kind.

[EagleFan]

Just a few more days...

[Sun Tzu]

Sooo.....Spielberg and Hanks co-produced this one too right?

[Mustang]

Sooo.....Spielberg and Hanks co-produced this one too right?

Yep.

Been awhile since I looked forward to a series this much.

[Scoobz0202]

I think I am going to watch a different trailer at every hour until nine o'clock lol

[Logan]

The Pacific now...Treme in April (seems like it times up to start when Pacific ends)...wow is HBO looking awesome.

[MizzouRah]

I can't wait either!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

SO exicited to watch this. Gonna be awesome.

[Doug5984]

The Pacific now...Treme in April (seems like it times up to start when Pacific ends)...wow is HBO looking awesome.

Yup, I just switched my cable providers and even though HBO is $12 / month, I had to get it... The Pacific & Treme, I can't miss those..

[JS19]

Haven't heard a thing about this Treme... gonna have to check it out. Can't freaking wait for 9 pm to come.

[DaddyTorgo]

I haven't watched any trailers just so i'll be fresh going into it. What's this Treme thing?

[Scoobz0202]

Creator of The Wire, David Simon, is making a show based in New Orleans. Here is what Wikipedia says,

"The series takes place three months after Hurricane Katrina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina) where the residents of New Orleans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans), including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians and ordinary New Orleanian try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane.<sup id="cite_ref-Treme_Zap2It_0-1" class="reference">[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treme_%28TV_series%29#cite_note-Treme_Zap2It-0)</sup><sup id="cite_ref-futon_1-0" class="reference">[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treme_%28TV_series%29#cite_note-futon-1)</sup><sup id="cite_ref-Stealing_Life_2-0" class="reference">[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treme_%28TV_series%29#cite_note-Stealing_Life-2)</sup> The series is scheduled to premiere April 11, 2010, on HBO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBO).<sup id="cite_ref-Treme_Times-Picayune_4_3-0" class="reference">[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treme_%28TV_series%29#cite_note-Treme_Times-Picayune_4-3)</sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference">[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treme_%28TV_series%29#cite_note-4)</sup> The first season will consist of 10 episodes, including an 80-minute pilot episode."

[Logan]

It's also going to have Lester and Bunk from The Wire among the cast. I'm sure others will show up.

I'm wondering what would be the most boring source material for David Simon to turn into a show that would still have me watching.

[DeToxRox]

Fucking awesome first episode.

[Dr. Sak]

This definitely has a different feel than Band of Brothers. I liked it.

[Scoobz0202]

This is going to be something special.

[Doug5984]

That was a nice first episode, I had some people over who kept talking so I'll probably have to re-watch it before next Sunday to catch everything.

[Scoobz0202]

That was a nice first episode, I had some people over who kept talking so I'll probably have to re-watch it before next Sunday to catch everything.


Yea, I have it DVR'ed. I am about to do the same. I was in the room with a couple other people and between one of them constantly playing with the dog and throwing dog toys at me and the other making his uneducated military tactics quips I feel a rewatch is definitely in order.

[JPhillips]

The only thing I didn't like was the Hanks VO at the beginning. The Japanese were never going to hold their empire regardless of what happened initially in Guadalcanal. It doesn't take away from the heroics of the Marines, but we whipped the Japanese with one hand tied behind our back. Once they decided to start the war it was only a matter of time until they lost.

[Drake]

I stayed up to catch the late showing on one of the HBO alt channels. It was worth losing some sleep over. Definitely a show I'll be watching.


One of the things I really appreciated was their nod to the sorts of expectations viewers of Band of Brothers would have -- that is, after the D-Day beachhead carnage of BoB, the contrast with the marines walking out of the boats onto an empty beach was a nice bit of writing, especially since it just ratcheted up the tension for later. Just an excellent way to drive home the point that the Pacific Theater was a different sort of war.

[Mustang]

That was a nice first episode, I had some people over who kept talking so I'll probably have to re-watch it before next Sunday to catch everything.

I refused to watch the episode with outside interference. I told my wife that if she had anything for me, speak now or wait an hour. :)

[Icy]

Downloading it now as no way i'm going to wait a full year for it to come to Spanish TV (plus i prefer the Original language, not dubbed).

[MizzouRah]

I concur.. excellent first episode.

[Bad-example]

Oh man did that first episode suck balls!



Yes, of course I am kidding.

[Icy]

Just finished to watch it and i loved it.

Fully agree with Drake's spoiler, one of the best moments in the chapter.

Damn can't wait for next week.

[bob]

For anyone without HBO, they have it streaming on the HBO website. You have to register to watch though.

[Celeval]

Are they going to do that for all episodes, or just the first?

[BishopMVP]

Are they going to do that for all episodes, or just the first?Just the first.

[stevew]

Agreed that the opening was awesome. I was wondering if they would go to the well for a third beach landing scene. Appreciated the contrast and homage to the other projects.

[bob]

The first episode is also being shown on the Direct TV 101 network. I know its on tonight at 10 PM, probably available at other times as well.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just 'cause I noticed it in another article, 3.1 million viewers for the debut episode (out of roughly 40 million subscribing households).

That's better than the 2.5 million for their last epic John Adams but less than 1/3rd of the over 10 million the Band of Brothers debuted to.

As the linked article notes, there's probably some damage done to the initial rating by DVR since they got about 900k more on the first replay but it's still not even beating the numbers for shows like Entourage and True Blood. Of course that's probably fine with HBO since they'll make their money on the eventual DVD's, not on the viewers that are already paying them anyway.
Ratings: 'The Pacific' Campaign Opens With 3.1 Million Viewers | The Wrap (http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/ratings-pacific-campaign-opens-31-million-viewers-15326)

[DaddyTorgo]

the first episodes of these series are always the...slowest too i feel.

[rowech]

I always feel sorry for the guys who fought in the Pacific. So many people blow it off. The Pacific was Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. End war. It's not focused on in high schools, movies, tv, etc. Finally getting some credit but sadly, the TV numbers probably say it all

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'm personally more interested in the Pacific because my family members were involved in that theater of WWII. My great uncle was killed when he was 19 over on one of these small rocks in the middle of the Pacific. My grandfather signed up in 1944 and was training over 8 weeks for the invasion of Japan. He's obviously personally thankful to our hometown president (Harry S. Truman) for ending the war before he was forced to storm the shores of Japan where there would have been heavy casulties.

Adding on to that, I'm very interested to see how they handle the nuclear bomb issue. My guess is that we'll generally see the troop response as positive, with some remorse if they end up going ashore and seeing the devestation in Japan. The Harry S. Truman Presidental Museum has a great exhibit covering the bombing and the difficulty of that decision. It also has an area where visitors are able to post their personal opinions on the subject. Great place to visit (along with the WWI National Museum) if you ever wander through KC.

[Dr. Sak]

My grandfather signed up in 1944 and was training over 8 weeks for the invasion of Japan. He's obviously personally thankful to our hometown president (Harry S. Truman) for ending the war before he was forced to storm the shores of Japan where there would have been heavy casulties.


My great uncle stills says to this day that his hero is Truman for dropping the bomb because he too was training to invade Japan and knew he probably wouldn't have made it out of the war alive if the invasion had gone through.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

My great uncle stills says to this day that his hero is Truman for dropping the bomb because he too was training to invade Japan and knew he probably wouldn't have made it out of the war alive if the invasion had gone through.

My grandfather was going to be a radio man. While everyone else was carrying rifles with quite a bit of ammo along with a good supply of grenades, he was going to run up that Japanese beach with an 80 lb. radio on his back, a pistol, and one grenade. He said he didn't like his chances, especially facing an enemy that wasn't afraid to die.

[Kodos]

I never watched Band of Brothers, but watched the pilot for this last night. Good episode. Definitely tense waiting for the enemy to show up.

[Senator]

:thumbsup:

[EagleFan]

Cool thing today. We had a training session today for giving presentations to clients. One of the exercizes was not only in talking but in listening. We formed groups and one person would talk about something for three minutes (a topic given out by the instructor) while the other would listen. After the three minutes the listener would have to summarize what was said and another person would watch and give feedback on how each person did.

We were in several groups throughout the room and when it happened to be my turn to be the speaker the topic was "famous person past or present that you would like to have dinner with". I chose Dick Winters and discussed what I learned from him not only in the series but through reading several books about the war and some about him.

While the other person was summarizing back to me I happened to hear someone from another group doing their summary as well. The person in that group had also chosen Dick Winters to discuss.

[Senator]

Cool thing about this series, recognized a name from an interview I did for the book I wrote in 2000. In all the 600 interviews I did; the ones that kept me up at night were some of the things I heard about the Pacific theater.

[Scoobz0202]

Reminder: Part Two in five minutes.

[Scoobz0202]

Oh man, that was just fucking epic.

Jesus H. Christ.

[PraetorianX]

Very good episode.

[JS19]

Freaking awesome. I'd venture to say every Marine, former and current, knows the names of John Basilone and Chesty Puller, the battles of Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and pretty much the whole Marines Pacific Theater of Operations. It's really cool to actually watch these stories play out.

[MacroGuru]

I was at Barnes and Noble today and I was reading through 2 books. Brought about by me watching the entire series of Band of Brothers again before the launch of The Pacific.

1. Biggest Brother: Story of Major Richard Winters

2. I'm Staying With My Boys: The Heroic Life of Sgt. John Basilone, USMC

Both were amazing reads (Granted I read the first couple of chapters each). I bought them both and will begin in earnest this trip out.

[MizzouRah]

Freaking awesome. I'd venture to say every Marine, former and current, knows the names of John Basilone and Chesty Puller, the battles of Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and pretty much the whole Marines Pacific Theater of Operations. It's really cool to actually watch these stories play out.

We used to sing a song when running that started, Chesty Puller was a son of a b*.. :)

Yes, every Marine knows of John Basilone and Chesty Puller!

[stevew]

I'll admit to being incredibly shallow or whatever. But it honestly did almost nothing for me last night. I'm 2 hours in, I have no idea who these people are. Yes, they kill a lot of Japs, but how about some story or something?

I'm going to give it another episode or two, but right now I'm not really feeling it at all.

[JPhillips]

I wouldn't go that far, but I do think they're having a problem figuring out who to frame the story around. I understand the problem in that Basilone spent most of the war selling war bonds, but it seems a little scattershot to me right now.

[stevew]

I suppose I would have a better understanding if I knew about any of these people before hand. But I had never heard of this Basilone guy and apparently he's quite important

[Mustang]

I enjoyed the 2nd episode much more than the first. For me, they took the episode down to a more personal level in the 2nd episode. The first just seemed like one hour long action movie. So far I give the edge to Band of Brothers, but that was a pretty lofty goal to try to match or exceed that series.

[JS19]

I'll admit to being incredibly shallow or whatever. But it honestly did almost nothing for me last night. I'm 2 hours in, I have no idea who these people are. Yes, they kill a lot of Japs, but how about some story or something?

I'm going to give it another episode or two, but right now I'm not really feeling it at all.

I can see how the casual viewer can watch these and not really see what's going on, yet. Having prior knowledge of who these people were and the stories (I'm sure exaggerated at at times) we've heard, gives us a better understanding and appreciation. The 2nd episode pretty much established Basilone's character and showed where his mystique and legend came from. Maybe they didn't portray it effectively enough, but Baslione almost single handedly held the Marines lines during that battle, not only mowing down the Japanese, but by repairing other machine guns, realizing other machine gun posts were knocked out by the Japanese and moving his weapon over to those areas to continue the assault, using his pistol to race through the broken lines to get more ammo for his men.

[rowech]

Just finished 2nd episode and color me less than impressed. I'm finding this to be pretty blah to be honest. Stunning visually and great atmosphere but just blah.

[EagleFan]

It's missing the connection that BoB had. I may like it hen all is said and done but I think I will need to read up on the Pacific Theater asmuchas possible and then watch again to get enough out of it.

[Scoobz0202]

Maybe the awesomeness will wear out more for me as the season goes on but my connection to the show comes from some military fiction I read years ago. The Corps series by W.E.B. Griffin. His writing on Guadalcanal was fucking awesome and ever since then I have loved reading about Guadalcanal. My knowledge on the rest of the pacific theatre is shaky so we'll see what happens.

[Bad-example]

It is difficult to judge these early episodes based on initial viewings. Once we have seen the entire series we will probably enjoy watching reruns of the beginning installments much more. That was my experience with Band of Brothers.

[RendeR]

I'm not sure what you guys are watching but frankly this show is awesome. I'm enjoying this far more than I ever did Band of brothers, but then I served in teh Pacifc myself so that certainly may bias me some.

Episode 3 was terrific, the internal turmoil of most of the characters is excellent and I'm really enjoying the interaction with the civilians.

Can't wait till I have it all recorded and can sit and watch it all straight through.

[Cringer]

I think tonight's episode helped establish some of the "personal connection" that was missing with characters. For a war show that had no war in it, tonight's episode was good.

[Emmett13]

Didn't care much for tonight's episode. And haven't been too impressed with the other two (as far as HBO shows go). This episode seemed really contrived, and bordering on Bay's Pearl Harbor with the schmaltz factor. Foreign soldier falls in love with farmer's daughter? Gag me with vegemite!

And the blonde haired kid with his little Aussie babe and strict grandfather. Get out of here with that weak subplot!

A cow was the only thing that got killed in the episode. It's like they were screwing with me.

If this show was on another network I'd be drooling all over it. HBO just has my standards too high for its shows.

[Scoobz0202]

I'm not sure what you guys are watching but frankly this show is awesome. I'm enjoying this far more than I ever did Band of brothers, but then I served in teh Pacifc myself so that certainly may bias me some.

Episode 3 was terrific, the internal turmoil of most of the characters is excellent and I'm really enjoying the interaction with the civilians.

Can't wait till I have it all recorded and can sit and watch it all straight through.

Agree 110%.

I've been watching each episode 2-3 times before the next one comes on. I thought last nights was right up there with episode two. A buddy and I are just in love with this show. Each week we call each other after each episode and discuss it. Really find it hard that people don't like it. I dunno.

[Dr. Sak]

To put it in context, The 1st Marine Division spent more time in Australia than Easy Company did in Europe.

[RendeR]

Agree 110%.

I've been watching each episode 2-3 times before the next one comes on. I thought last nights was right up there with episode two. A buddy and I are just in love with this show. Each week we call each other after each episode and discuss it. Really find it hard that people don't like it. I dunno.


So yer dating Ricky Martin?


Sorry, but the way you just described that SCREAMED fainting female and daytime soaps....

[rowech]

I'm finding this to be almost a chore to watch. I'm not looking forward to it at all really which is really disappointing. I can't say it's bad but I'm very neutral on it which might be even worse than bad.

[Scoobz0202]

Yea, those sentences back-to-back just scream gay, don't they.

[stevew]

So my brother got pissed last night when I made some comment like I wonder if they will show the Japs noob tubing Basilone. They apparently couldn't get him with regular bullets. I mean shit, when something has been public record for like 65 years and is stated on a persons youtube page, I don't see how that is a spoiler.

Whatever though.

[Sun Tzu]

I'm digging the show. I'm not as engaged with this as I was for Band of Brothers, but it's not really fair to judge anything based on that. IMO Band of Brothers is the best mini-series...ever.

Standing alone without the side by side comparison, I think The Pacific is pretty damn good.

[Scoobz0202]

I feel tonight's episode was probably the best one yet...

I know we got some people that were starting to lose interest, how you guys holding up?

Those that are loving it did you reallllly dig tonights?

[stevew]

I will say the Sledge story is miles better than the other one.

[Scoobz0202]

Going into tonights episode I felt the Leckie one was the best, but the character development of Sledge in this episode alone was just fucking awesome.

[EagleFan]

Still watching but it seems fragmented and not seeing any connection between the soldiers (like BoB had). Reading some of the books about it so hopefully it will mean more when I watch it again.

[Scoobz0202]

The big bonus for me with the Sledge story is snafu. Such an awesome character.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'm trying to like it as much as Band of Brothers, but it's just not resonating as much for me. It's not BAD or anything, but it's not like Band of Brothers where it was appointment TV...it's more like "I'll throw it onto the DVR and catch it at some point -- I just watched Episode 6 tonight for example.

[rowech]

I feel tonight's episode was probably the best one yet...

I know we got some people that were starting to lose interest, how you guys holding up?

Those that are loving it did you reallllly dig tonights?

Haven't watched last night's yet. I'll finish the series out of need. I'd never stop watching it but it's not a series I'm ever going to re-watch. It's just blah.

[3ric]

I've only seen episodes 1-4, but I like it so far. Leckie is a good character, and it's going to be interesting to see more of Sledge.

[spleen1015]

Part 6 was pretty awesome, IMO. We haven't watched last night's yet.

If you haven't already, I recommend getting the companion book that has been released. It covers the same time frame but looks at other individuals. One of people it covers is a Navy Pilot. It is interesting seeing the same battle and scenarios from different perspectives.

[Dr. Sak]

I am 75% of the way through Leckie's book and after that I will read Sledges. I loved Band of Brothers, but I am really enjoying this just as much. I swear each time I watch series like these two I sit and wonder if I would have had the courage these young men had.

We saw a little bit of the psychological toll of war in the episodes in Bastogne, but The Pacific really shows how it takes the innocence away from the soldiers and I am amaze that they were able to fit back into society they way they did.

[thesloppy]

I was having a slow time until episode 6 and 7, when things have finally started to set for me. The storyline with Sledge (who I thought would be the least interesting character at first) has been more compelling for sure...I think a big part of the reason is simply just because there's a few more recognizable (and perhaps more exaggerated) characters that stand out, such as Snafu and Gunny (both of whom are awesome), whereas in Leckie's storyline, even though I might identify with Leckie more than Sledge, I had trouble distinguishing all of the dudes who weren't Leckie.

I still had that problem a bit in last night's episode, when more than one guy died in obviously poignant scenes that were kinda ruined by the fact that I didn't have the slightest clue who either of them were.

[DaddyTorgo]

I've gotten so little in to it that I don't even have an idea of any of the character's names...they don't really seem "alive" to me.

[EagleFan]

I've gotten so little in to it that I don't even have an idea of any of the character's names...they don't really seem "alive" to me.

I think it's a decent series but it is not easy figuring out who these people are, other than the three main people.

BoB seemed to allow youto get a better feel for the characters. One of the reasons is that you got more episode. These episodes are done in 50 minutes and much of that is taken up with Hanks and the intro at the beginning. Another reason is that it followed one company and the war in Europe was not a series of fractured island hops like in the Pacific theater.

[stevew]

I've gotten so little in to it that I don't even have an idea of any of the character's names...they don't really seem "alive" to me.

I do have the same problem. It was probably supposed to be a big deal with the Skip went down last night(to the sniper), but it wasn't very powerful cause you didn't really know much about him. He was from new england, I guess.

[Scoobz0202]

You guys didn't have a similar problem with BoB? It took about the second or third viewing of BoB's for me to really enjoy it to its fullest.

[bob]

Quick question for those of you with HBO - is are the old episodes of the Pacific available on demand? Could I just pick up HBO for a month, watch the already aired eps on demand and the few remaining episodes as they are aired and then cancel?

[spleen1015]

Quick question for those of you with HBO - is are the old episodes of the Pacific available on demand? Could I just pick up HBO for a month, watch the already aired eps on demand and the few remaining episodes as they are aired and then cancel?

They are all available and the first episode is available until 6/15.

[EagleFan]

One thing that I don't understand about this episode is why they gave us a minute of Sledge and snafu at the start of this one.

[Scoobz0202]

I've loved the series but my only major complaint is the "wasted time." The episodes are for the most part only 40 or so minutes, which kinda sucks. It seems like they could have paced it better.

I do think that the last ten minutes of this episode may have been the best combat scene I've ever seen in show or movie.

[EagleFan]

I've loved the series but my only major complaint is the "wasted time." The episodes are for the most part only 40 or so minutes, which kinda sucks. It seems like they could have paced it better.

I do think that the last ten minutes of this episode may have been the best combat scene I've ever seen in show or movie.

Wish I knew that going in so I could have skipped the first 30 minutes of this one. :)

Honestly on the Sledge/snafu thing. Did that look like it was a scene that they had no idea where to put it so they threw it into the beginning of this episode. Why wasn't that in last week's?

[Scoobz0202]

Yea, I don't know what to tell ya. It was just kind of there...

Do you think the last ten minutes is all we are going to see of Iwo Jima? Because, like I said, it was an unreal ten minutes but it seemed like they were like, "oh fuck, we are running out of time." BOOM

[DaddyTorgo]

thoughts in spoiler

okay...i get that that was supposed to be some big heartbreaking thing that he died right after getting married and all, but i dunno...i never really felt as much of a connection, so it didn't really have much of an effect on me

[Scoobz0202]

thoughts in spoiler

okay...i get that that was supposed to be some big heartbreaking thing that he died right after getting married and all, but i dunno...i never really felt as much of a connection, so it didn't really have much of an effect on me

I agree in a small way. I knew he died before the show started. That may have taken some away from it. I was just watching to see how they did it. I thought the scene was beautiful.

[DaddyTorgo]

the cinematography was beautiful yeah. but it didn't resonate in any sort of emotional way i guess.

in contrast - i thought the scene from last week where the guy was throwing pebbles into the blown-open head of the Japanese soldier...resonated more.

[stevew]

He died about 8 months after getting married. They should have just made a Basilone movie instead of this meandering miniseries that is way too hard to follow and care from week to week.

[DaddyTorgo]

it does meander far too much IMO...hard to stay caring about a character when for instance we leave basilone for over a month of watching only to come back and see him for an hour before he gets killed

[BigDPW]

I am not watching The Pacific as I do not have HBO but saw this link and thought of you guys that are following it... Pretty amazing collection of photos from the Pacific Theatre...

Captured: The Pacific and Adjacent Theaters in WWII – Plog Photo Blog (http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/03/18/captured-blog-the-pacific-and-adjacent-theaters/)

[bob]

Why oh why does Direct TV not offer HBO on Demand? It's my own fault for not checking before I ordered HBO, but man does it suck that I added it assuming I could watch these just to find out that on Demand is not offered.

[Tasan]

Well, I've been avoiding this thread for a while, so I didn't taint my feelings about the show until its (almost) over. I'm past the point of caring now. I'll finish it, but I'm just not feeling it with this as I did with Band of Brothers.

In BoB, I could actually follow who was who. Outside of snafu and Basilone, I'm having a real hard time naming folks. A couple of guys stand out visually (Gunny and the fro hair dude) but come on. I plan on watching all of these back to back when its done, like I did with BoB, but I'm doubting if it will ever have the same impact.

I need a Winters, Lipton, shifty, Malarkey, Bull, Guarenna. Heck give me a Sobel. You know, I think that's what really brought it all together in the last one. Everyone got to hate Sobel off the bat with the rest of the guys. There hasn't been a Sobel, or anyone as opposite as Winters, to really pull you in. Just a bunch of "guys" going off to fight.

[EagleFan]

Well, I've been avoiding this thread for a while, so I didn't taint my feelings about the show until its (almost) over. I'm past the point of caring now. I'll finish it, but I'm just not feeling it with this as I did with Band of Brothers.

In BoB, I could actually follow who was who. Outside of snafu and Basilone, I'm having a real hard time naming folks. A couple of guys stand out visually (Gunny and the fro hair dude) but come on. I plan on watching all of these back to back when its done, like I did with BoB, but I'm doubting if it will ever have the same impact.

I need a Winters, Lipton, shifty, Malarkey, Bull, Guarenna. Heck give me a Sobel. You know, I think that's what really brought it all together in the last one. Everyone got to hate Sobel off the bat with the rest of the guys. There hasn't been a Sobel, or anyone as opposite as Winters, to really pull you in. Just a bunch of "guys" going off to fight.

I agree with everything that you have said. Watching to the end but the show has nothing close to the same draw that BoB had.

If BoB had never existed I don't know if I would have watched this show until the end.

I would have liked this much better if they concentrated on one squad/company and you stayed with them all the way through instead of bouncing back and forth between Bassilone (and his group), Lackey (sp?) (and his group) and Sledge (and his group).

[Scoobz0202]

As a whole, this show has been very good. Something about the pace, and their focus, has made it kind of hit or miss. They have flashes of brilliance for episodes at a time but then throw in some shit that just makes no sence. There has been moments that rival anything I have ever seen in tv and film.

I'm prone to hyperbole, as I've probably already indicated in this thread. I think I even said this same thing about the final 15 minutes of the Iwo Jima episode. But, tonight's episode I can not describe adequately with words. I don't know how to describe it. This show has at times struggled to connect with me emotionally, and I think that may be helped with future viewings. But tonight was some of the most emotional shit I have ever seen in a television show. The scene towards the end with the baby and the old lady was unreal. Absolutely unreal.

Edited to add: Sledge and snafu should have been the focal point of the majority of the show.

[EagleFan]

As a whole, this show has been very good. Something about the pace, and their focus, has made it kind of hit or miss. They have flashes of brilliance for episodes at a time but then throw in some shit that just makes no sence. There has been moments that rival anything I have ever seen in tv and film.

I'm prone to hyperbole, as I've probably already indicated in this thread. I think I even said this same thing about the final 15 minutes of the Iwo Jima episode. But, tonight's episode I can not describe adequately with words. I don't know how to describe it. This show has at times struggled to connect with me emotionally, and I think that may be helped with future viewings. But tonight was some of the most emotional shit I have ever seen in a television show. The scene towards the end with the baby and the old lady was unreal. Absolutely unreal.

Edited to add: Sledge and snafu should have been the focal point of the majority of the show.

The problem that I have with the series has been just that. There are parts of it that are great but those pieces still seem to be random pieces that aren't sewn together by the series as a whole.

I agree with your last statement but not just because of the characters but because as a series it would gel much better if the focus were one group.

Either do three different series or just follow one group. Give the viewers a chance to relate to something from start to finish. That was the best thing about BoB is that you got to see the same group from start to finish and even when they did shows that focused on one of them you still were following the same group and saw the same people.

[Sgran]

The Peleliu episodes were worth the price of having to sit through the slower episodes (the Melbourne part was torture). The scene where they charge across the airstrip is one of the most ambitious war scenes I've ever watched. Absolutely riveting.

[Logan]

The problem that I have with the series has been just that. There are parts of it that are great but those pieces still seem to be random pieces that aren't sewn together by the series as a whole.

I agree with your last statement but not just because of the characters but because as a series it would gel much better if the focus were one group.

Either do three different series or just follow one group. Give the viewers a chance to relate to something from start to finish. That was the best thing about BoB is that you got to see the same group from start to finish and even when they did shows that focused on one of them you still were following the same group and saw the same people.

I think a Sledge series and a Basilone movie would have been great. I started out liking Leckie a lot, but either because he hasn't been heavily involved in awhile, or because they didn't really flesh out the rest of his company (combined with showing brief glimpses of too many guys that left you asking "Who was that?"), I've felt that part was basically wasted.

[Scoobz0202]

I felt that Basilone should have been removed. They didn't do him enough justice. I knew exactly how the 8th episode was going to go. Knew it all along. We hadn't seen him in awhile so of course the 8th episode would be them trying to make you fall back in love with him before Iwo Jima.

[stevew]

The guy who played Sledge absolutely owned it last night. He should get an emmy.

[Logan]

Yeah that's what I mean...I didn't know about Basilone heading in but I did some quick research when I heard about the show, which lead to me picking up his biography. He would've been better served in another project.

[rowech]

Just finished the 9th episode. THAT is what I thought this was going to be. That was a fantastic episode.

[JS19]

The guy who played Sledge absolutely owned it last night. He should get an emmy.

Look familiar?

http://news.cnet.com/i/bto/20091122/mazzello_270x202.gif


EDIT: Don't know how to post a pic, so this is the best I can do.

[EagleFan]

What's the picture from?

[JS19]

Jurassic Park

[Logan]

I knew it was the Jurassic Park kid immediately. I don't know if I've ever seen a child actor change less over time than him (Gary Coleman disqualified).

[stevew]

You know, this was a total waste of money. I think I'm going to cancel HBO tomorrow. Maybe 2-3 above average episodes out of 10? And it was a disjointed clusterfuck many weeks. There's no way they should be doing the end recap and I'm like "who the fuck was that guy."

[DaddyTorgo]

I didn't even watch tonight.

Disjointed clusterfuck says it well.

[stevew]

Actually, my hope here is that some ambitious college film students will cut this series up into like a 3 hour coherent Sledge movie.

[EagleFan]

Wow, why did I even DVR and watch tonight's?

Quite disappointed overall by this series.

If the series had focused only on Sledge's unit the seres wuold have been much easier to get into.

As somene said earlier in the thread, there should hav been three seperate projects here. A series about Sledge and two movies (one about Basilone and one about Leckie).

[EagleFan]

dola: The scene with snafu leaving the train would have meant so much more if the whole series had focused just on that unit.

[stevew]

This series is an 8.9 on IMDB. I'd struggle personally to give it more than a 5. I don't know what others are watching, honestly.

[Tasan]

I'll echo many others thoughts. That last episode was somewhat powerful, but would have been 10x more at least had this series been about Sledge and his guys. I finally got to know them some more and really liked what I was seeing, but hey, we're done now, no more.

Gah. This was just a clusterf*, plain and simple. They missed the main focus and without that had no real drive to the series. Its really a shame, too, as it seems there's really a great story there with Sledge.

I've put his book on order at Amazon, its real cheap right now it seems. I'd imagine its good, I've had it recommended to me before. I'd suggest you guys do the same.

[Peregrine]

Both Bob Leckie's book Helmet For my Pillow and both of Sledge's books are definitely worth reading - I remember reading those when I was in high school and I think it really got me interested in WW2. As for the series, I'd give it higher marks than most here, but I still think they needed to do a much better job in tying it all together and making it into a coherent story. The main problem was they really wanted to cover the whole sweep of the Pacific war, and if they had chosen to do only the Sledge stuff (which was mid-war and later) or only the Leckie stuff (which was early war) they couldn't have, so they tried to do both, and that really hurt at times.

[Tim Tellean]

HBO is reshowing the whole series on Thursday, November 11 starting at 11am. All 10 parts.
I look forward to catching parts of it again. I enjoyed the series as a whole.

[WSR]

HBO is reshowing the whole series on Thursday, November 11 starting at 11am. All 10 parts.
I look forward to catching parts of it again. I enjoyed the series as a whole.

Looking forward to this. I never saw the last episode, mainly because I didn't give a $hit. Contrast this with how I was sitting on the edge of my seat each week during the Band of Brothers episodes . . .