TV Shows Discussion

[Art Blade]

cheers for the recommendation, nice summary :)

[JRD]

Just so anyone interested in what fragger posted have a starting point!

Great tip fragger!  :-X :-X :-X

Space race Episode 1 Part 1

[mandru]

Wow, that does kick off nicely, very compelling.  :-X

[fragger]

Thanks for posting that, JRD :)

[JRD]

Thank YOU for the heads up!

I`m following the documentary every night with great interest!  :-X :-X

BBC managed to bring great acting, a very, very nice production and excellent real footage very well blended with the rest.

I`m a space afficcionado myself... I`m always reading news about the ISS, space shuttles, Mars probes etc... It`s really amazing the unfolds of the background of how Man made it to the moon... had the war taken a slightly different course and everything, I mean EVERYTHING, would be different nowadays!

I really like how the motivations of both men are depicted.... none is shown as a villain but as men seeking a dream!  :-X

I specially like how they slip how Russian officers were too stupid and blind to see the potential of a satellite and, at the same time, how the American officers were too proud to allow a non-American (Van Brown) to be responsible for launching the first satellite and therefore delayed the whole progress of their own operation  :D

[Art Blade]

As I keep reading and hearing different versions of that one man's name, I'd like to tell you guys a little about that name :)

Wernher von Braun

The first name is commonly known and spelled "Werner" (pronounced with a "V", followed by an "e" as in vent, so it's pronounced like "Ver-nuh"). However, this man uses a rather uncommon spelling, he is spelled correctly "Wernher" (pronunciation doesn't change).

The "von" bit means "of" and indicates noble origin and is pronounced "fon" as in "fond". Many nobles have a "von" as prefix to their names. Some nobles give their children uncommon first names, to make them even more special and stand out, see "Wernher."

Braun simply means brown (even pronounced like that.. let's forget about how the German "r" sounds, though).

So you'd address him as Herr von Braun (Mr von Braun).

By the way, "van" is Dutch :)



Edit: Made a small correction regarding pronunciation of "von" - I realised the example "ton" would be pronounced differently by Americans, so I changed it to "fond" ;)

[fragger]

Hey, you're right Art - I never noticed the unconventional spelling of Wernher von Braun's first name before. I knew about the meaning of "von" but I didn't pick on Wernher, even though I must have read his name a zillion times over the years. I stand corrected :)

[Art Blade]

Welcome :)

By the way, you (non-American accent) just made me realise that I needed to change an example for the Americans.. so rather than "ton" I chose "fond" now. ;)

[JRD]

Not sure if any of you guys have been watching 'The Pacific'.
Seen the first 3 episodes so far and enjoying it alot. Not been a huge amount of action yet, that just means its all still to come. :-X

So I'm watching The Pacific... and so far, so boring  :-(

The story is nothing like Band of Brothers... it lacks the punch. That's WWI all right and you follow a group of soldiers as they plunge into the war. But all similarities end here. I don't feel connected to characters yet, there's no one like Maj Winters (main character in BoB) to follow, so the whole overwhelming burden carried by him is not present... loads of personal drama with sprinkles of action...

The one episode when they go to Melbourne for a break actually put me to sleep.

Apart for the great production it's a rip off... I'm glad I borrowed it from a friend  :-(

In BoB, they spent three years filming so the actors grew old with the story and by the final chapters you could actually see older men, transformed by their experiences... so far all I see is a bunch of unexpressive faces...  >:((

rant mode off... back to The Pacific

[RedRaven]

Pacific is slower to start than Band of Brothers, but it does get better (at least as far as can recall).


Currently best things on UK tv are probably "Misfits" season 2 - twisted take on the superhero idea based around some young adults serving community service. And "The Walking Dead" has been ok but only 2 episodes into it so far. Fringe and Stargate Universe are both entertaining enough too.




@JRD - pretty sure it gets much better after episode 3, some really grim moments coming up. All in all it may have less action than BoB. Darn it, feel like watching them both back to back now...cheers ;D

[JRD]

I just watched ep 5.

It is still slow. Gonna have to get BoB and go through it as well  >:D

[Art Blade]

The precious metal box of BoB sits right next to me on my desk..  >:D

[fragger]

BoB is one of my favourite miniseries. I'd like to check out The Pacific, but I may try and borrow it from someone as JRD did - and from the sound of it, maybe have some No-Doz on hand for the early episodes :-()

Btw, did you know that Damian Lewis, the actor who played Major Winters in BoB, is actually English? I got quite a surprise when I first heard his natural speaking voice in an interview.

[JRD]

That's it... I'm at part 8/10 and it didn't get me!

I dare say that if you look over the nice production, it sucks!

Action relies mostly in limbs flying off and things blowing up - a weak appeal in my opinion. To try to touch the audience by feeding them shocking scenes is just a lame, poor artifice... in BoB you had some impact scenes but you could feel the action through the story, blood and gore were a side punch.

Here it is a bit disconnected... in one episode they are invading one island and there's the whole disembark and all, some scenes where guys look over each other and the hard face of war is somehow depicted... then they cut to a boat where everybody is leaving the island while staring at nothing as someone who goes through a life changing experience... but what about the bulk of it? It seems like you know how it is in the beginning and in the end, but what happens in between seems untold  ????

The whole story background is shallow... their real campaign might have been noteworthy, but the way its being told is crap

And now the story follows some other guys... and one of them, a chap by the name of Sledge, just don't have the look for the role... he is definitely a wrong choice for a character like that... no facial expression, his eyes doesn't pass the emotion it should... lame.

Since I have the box with me I'll finish it tomorrow, but just so I finish it.  >:((

[Art Blade]

Btw, did you know that Damian Lewis, the actor who played Major Winters in BoB, is actually English? I got quite a surprise when I first heard his natural speaking voice in an interview.

Yes, and I've always admired productions (especially actors) who afforded a language/dialect coach. I had the same surprise hitting me when I learned that Alan Tudyk was born in El Paso, Texas. A proper Yank. Yet in the film "Ein Ritter aus Leidenschaft" (aka "A Knight's Tale," "Chevalier") he had a London accent.  ;D

[JRD]

Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) is also British...  8)

[RedRaven]

Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) is also British...  8)

Apparently when Hugh Laurie first started "House" a lot of American viewers thought he was an American. For any of you that have not seen a show called "Black Adder" check it out, was the first show I ever saw him in along with Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry. Its a very funny, silly and satirical take on various points in history.

]Yes, and I've always admired productions (especially actors) who afforded a language/dialect coach. I had the same surprise hitting me when I learned that Alan Tudyk was born in El Paso, Texas. A proper Yank. Yet in the film "Ein Ritter aus Leidenschaft" (aka "A Knight's Tale," "Chevalier") he had a London accent.  ;D

He also did the voice for Sonny the Robot in "I Robot"

[Art Blade]

nice, didn't know that :)

[RedRaven]

I spend too much time playing six degrees of separation using IMDB, consequently have a head full of useless facts about films, actors and directors :) 

[Art Blade]

hehe, nice  ;D :-X

[fragger]

Nice one, Red :) Looks like you're the go-to guy for movie info then :-D

I too like to poke around at IMDB :-X

[Art Blade]

me too :)

[RedRaven]

Started this topic so as not to clog up the movie one.

Has any one else become hooked on Fringe ? Not normally a bug fan of TV as I prefer movies with a proper start, middle and end, or documentaries that actually teach something.
Fringe has however become a real guilty pleasure of mine, more so than anything else I've seen for a long while.

EDIT - oh, and Star Wars Clone wars cartoons are ace too, but cartoons don't count as TV :)

[Art Blade]

For more than 10 years I haven't watched TV except for a couple of live Forumula One races but even that is now off my list (basically ever since Michael Schumacher retired, and his comeback didn't really convince me so I quit watching).

I am more of a book fan and regarding films or docus, I stick to (purchsed) DVDs :)

However, some series on TV are available on DVD so once in a while I might end up buying and watching those :)

[Art Blade]

Oh and just by the way, is "fringe" and what you are planning to talk about anything that might be considered a "TV show" ? If so, we already have a topic for that, I would then merge this one with the older one.