Band of Brothers is amazing....

[GoingUp]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
I watched the series RELIGIOUSLY when it first aired. I would kick my wife out fo the living room, juice up the 5.1 surround , turn off the lights and just disappear. Tremendous mini-series. no doubt.
The ONLY downful I think was casting David Schwimmer in that roll. Why toss ONE hollywood name into it? It just didnt make sense to me nor did I like him in that roll (sorry David, but your Ross Gellar and nothing else). Other than that, it was truly flawless.

Its beyond a humbling experience to think what these men, and tens of thousands like them went through during that war, and to see and hear them tell the stories themselves, to weap and to smile... these have to be some of the bravest men to ever live, and some of the proudest.

I get goosebumps just thinking of the series, Saving Private Ryan etc etc... I know they are Hollywood glorifications of war, but hopefully, because of these men, thats the closest I, or my children or my grandchildren will ever have to get.

Go USA (and our allies )

Yea, I was disappointed to see David Schwimmer in that role as well.

 

[dpm]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
I haven't seen a single episode Gobadgrs But it is on my very short list of DVD's that I need to purchase

Top two dvds I own are Band of Brothers, and the West Wing. And people say american tv is all crap!

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

great series.

I rented them over 6 weeks from netflix and really enjoyed watching everyone of them.


I didn't like the schwimmer casting either, until the show where you see that character's faults and then it made sense. i don't really like schwimmer at all, but he was an adequate nutjob.

 

[Homerboy]

yeah he "fit" the role fine.
But why cast a star in a series filled with TREMENDOUS no-name (or little-name) actors? I dont think they really needed that "big-name draw". Speilberg, Hanks and HBO were enough Id guess.
Schwimmer had to kiss somebodies butt hard Im guessing. I just didnt like the fact that they used a well known actor for the part. Like Samuel Jackson and Jimmy Smits in the new Star Wars trilogy. Just leave the big names out.

 

[Oakenfold]

Watched the entire series in one day.
I still rewatch them from time to time, bastogne is my fav as well.
I think David did a good job with his performance, much better than samuel's jacksons part in Basic(think that was the movie) as a hated officer but that's just me.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
yeah he "fit" the role fine.
But why cast a star in a series filled with TREMENDOUS no-name (or little-name) actors? I dont think they really needed that "big-name draw". Speilberg, Hanks and HBO were enough Id guess.
Schwimmer had to kiss somebodies butt hard Im guessing. I just didnt like the fact that they used a well known actor for the part. Like Samuel Jackson and Jimmy Smits in the new Star Wars trilogy. Just leave the big names out.

I see what you're saying...why bother etc..., but I don't think they put him in there for a big name draw. I think they put him in there b/c schwimmers innate personality (I don't want to spoil anything) fits the character he was playing. In fact, I don't think he came up on the credits until near the end of the roll-by.

Most of the brillance of the series come from the realism of the effects and overall emotional tone of the plot, plus the historical context helps the viewer intensely identify with many of the situations and characters. All of the acting was adequate and most was good, BUT none of it was steller because it wasn't an actors script.

 

[PanzerIV]

I bought the series last Christmas from the previewed DVDs at Blockbuster so I get it way cheaper than the new set. Band of Brothers, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Enemy at the Gates and Saving Private Ryan are most of my favorite war movies.

 

[phatj]

comitatus

 

[dpm]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS
Most of the brillance of the series come from the realism of the effects and overall emotional tone of the plot, plus the historical context helps the viewer intensely identify with many of the situations and characters. All of the acting was adequate and most was good, BUT none of it was steller because it wasn't an actors script.

I don't know - I thought that the actors were mostly superb, and it was the blending of the little details of the characters as well as the bigger picture of the unit so well, that made it the movie that it was.

Especially since none of the actors were big names, and half of them weren't even american.

 

[GasX]

Anyone notice Jimmy Fallon's bit part?

 

[PanzerIV]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
Anyone notice Jimmy Fallon's bit part?

Yep. Driving the jeep.

 

[Homerboy]

yeah I forgot about that! Again... WHY?!!?!
It just adds this air of "hollywood" too it that it doesnt and SHOUDNT have.

 

[CinderElmo]

I really enjoyed the first 4 episodes...but I have to go back to the library to get the others. I thought Schwimmer did a great job of playing his role as his grating personality fit the part perfectly. I could share his men's misery Also, Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) from Office Space is in there...so that is two big name actors!

They need to make the Pacific Theatre version, and then hopefully move on to do a 10-part series following a group of Soviet soldiers. They did the bulk of the fighting during WW2 and get hardly a nod for their contribution. Would be great to have a serious treatment from their point of view.

 

[MegaloManiaK]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs

Originally posted by: Homerboy
I watched the series RELIGIOUSLY when it first aired. I would kick my wife out fo the living room, juice up the 5.1 surround , turn off the lights and just disappear. Tremendous mini-series. no doubt.
The ONLY downful I think was casting David Schwimmer in that roll. Why toss ONE hollywood name into it? It just didnt make sense to me nor did I like him in that roll (sorry David, but your Ross Gellar and nothing else). Other than that, it was truly flawless.

Its beyond a humbling experience to think what these men, and tens of thousands like them went through during that war, and to see and hear them tell the stories themselves, to weap and to smile... these have to be some of the bravest men to ever live, and some of the proudest.

I get goosebumps just thinking of the series, Saving Private Ryan etc etc... I know they are Hollywood glorifications of war, but hopefully, because of these men, thats the closest I, or my children or my grandchildren will ever have to get.

Go USA (and our allies )

Yea, I was disappointed to see David Schwimmer in that role as well.

See i thought it was wierd to see him there, but i think he fit the part.

Now if he had played a hero or something id be annoyed, but he plays the part of prick pretty well.

I had a harder time not thinking about office space.


edit: oh and jimmy fallon (sp?) had a bit part. I dont much care for him, im surpised he didn't start cracking up in his one scene.

 

[Wingznut]

I have to admit that when I first saw David Schwimmer show up, I thought "Oh boy, this is gonna suck."

But it didn't. He did an amazing job in that role and I soon forgot all about Ross. My wife felt the same way. I think that if you couldn't get over it, then you didn't allow yourself. For those saying that they did it to get a "name" in there, that doesn't make sense. It's not like they ever advertised that he was in it, nor was he at the top of the credits.

 

[Homerboy]

Im not saying they got Schwimmer for a "big name" Im saying that WHY did they include him period? there were no other really big names in the movie. a few "hey I recognize that guy....from somewhere" but really no clear-cut "stars"

I agree Schwimmer fit the roll and played the roll damn near flawlessly, but I dont hink they needed "David Schwimmer" to pull it off.

 

[Wingznut]

Well... If he played the roll "damn near flawlessly", why not use him? No, they didn't "need" him... They just got an actor (who happened to play a TV character) who was excellent as the character.

 

[Chumster]

I'm trying to find the article (either Times or Newsweek), but Tom Hanks addressed the casting of Schwimmer. He simply stated that out of the candidates, he fit the role the best -- no Hollywood spin. It may be a typecast for him(Schwimmer), but it fit well IMHO. Same goes for Livingston -- while his role was familiar, he played it perfectly and I had no problems forgetting Office Space.

I mean, c'mon, with prestige the series was bound to receive due to directors (Hanks, Spielberg, Phil Alden Robinson, etc) and source material (i.e. heroic WW2 setting), I'm sure they could have gotten nearly anyone they wanted.

Chum