Red Tails- Movie

[Melvin]

It worries me they can't even get the poster right.

For the little guy in my avatar I really want it to be a good film.  But when they preface it with "inspired by true events', I get worried.  That's the disclaimer for "none of this is actual history, we're trying to make money with a story we think we can tell better then the truth".

I'm much more a fan of the truth.  My best hope is it gets kids to watch it and take the extra step to read up on the Tuskegee Airmen.  My fear is it becomes the 'truth' for the kids who see it, and diminishes the accomplishments of the real men who endured that fight

Bingo.

Did nobody notice how hokey the formation flying or that "trainwreck" scene was? To me it looked awful.


EDIT: Dear George Lucas,

                 This isn't Star Wars. Your complete disregard for physics, history and general reality will get you crucified in the "based on true events" genre.

                                                                           You have been warned,
                                                                                                     Melvin

[Pigslilspaz]

 Your complete disregard for physics

If you are talking about the flip the pony did, I have done that before in the game, and I remember reading about another pony pilot doing it as well.

[Melvin]

If you are talking about the flip the pony did, I have done that before in the game, and I remember reading about another pony pilot doing it as well.

Ugh, pay attention.

[Bodhi]

I agree with Corky.  It is nothing more than a Pearl Harbor with lots of pretty eye candy and short of facts.

[RightF00T]

Damn...I was just about to say "Hey and no cheesy unrealistic Hollywood ACM" and at that moment the Pony did the cliche 360-15G-turn-and-spray manuever that every movie uses LOLOL.   


STILL LOOKS AWESOME THOUGH!!! 

[oboe]

I winced at the P-51 backflip but honestly didn't notice anything goofy about the formation flying - although I hardly had time to see much since the scenes change so rapidly.

I'm prepared for a certain amount of Hollywood treatment, and I'll overlook inaccuracies like the wrong tail code on the B17s, etc - because it is SO SO SO much better than seeing a C130 sub for a Japanese patrol plane in the 70s-era "Midway" movie, where Hellcats served as Wildcats, or the corny model-plane-on-wires Japanese fighters of Duke Wayne's 1942 "Flying Tigers" film.   It looks like they spend a lot of time in P-40s, too, which is fantastic.   

I hope it has such success that it generates interest for several more WWII air combat films (would love a "Band of Brothers-style series on the Flying Tigers).   I'll probably read up on the Tuskegee Airmen, too.  I figure there's a lot I don't know about them.

[oboe]

Plus, it opens on my birthday!

Here is a quote from a comment on IMDb by a screenwiter, who addresses the complainers about historical accuracy on that BB- and I thought it was a well-written response, and he made a couple of points I hadn't thought of:

OK folks, I can appreciate the criticisms and you historical advocates are correct that there are a lot of inaccuracies in this depiction of the Tuskegee Airmen, but as a screenwriter and someone who knows a few things (not all things) about the movie business, this movie isn't trying to be anything that it says it isn't. "Inspired By True Events" gives a LOT of lateral leeway in telling the story, especially surrounding some of the details. If non-fictional characters were used, the families would likely sue the studio for unlicensed use of people's likenesses and images. Movie killed. Moreover, the goal of telling stories in Hollywood is to entertain, inspire and tell great stories. Even if some of the facts are fudged a bit. "Gladiator" wasn't based on exact history, but was rather a composite of several characters and stories that were based in historical fact that were assembled in a fictional way to make a great story. "Gladiator" rocked, did it not? Same thing with "Saving Private Ryan". They got the beaches historically wrong, and the storming of the beach at the beginning was only true for 1 or 2 of the beaches while the majority of the invasion didn't see that kind of action. Moreover, while it is true that there was a "Ryan" who's brother's did die in combat, and there was a mission to bring him back home, almost none of the events that happened in the movie were historically accurate as relates to that story. Another awesome movie, and even a lot of vets gave it props...

The bottom line is that Hollywood is about entertainment and making stories that people will pay money to see, and feel great about seeing at the end. "Red Tails" is going to hit the "marks" of the underdog African American pilots of the 332nd Fighter Wing (true) over coming adversity and racism (true) to be assigned to highly risky bomber escort missions over Europe (true) and kicking total bellybutton doing it (also true). Sounds like a great MOVIE to me! I am willing to bet money that a large part of using "inaccurate" colors and insignias on the planes was more geared for the audience to be able to distinguish who was who in the fighter sequences than to flagrantly snub historical facts. That's my 2 cents worth, I can't wait to see the movie, and I hope the rest of it is a great story. Thank you.

I do hope everybody has a chance to go and see it.

Might be a nice opportunity for some new 332nd skins in AH too - what a wonderful marketing opportunity to put our game with P-51 and P-40 skins right out of the movie in front of people who are hyped after just having seen it.  Who doesn't want to be a fighter pilot after having a movie experience like that?

<S>

[jimson]

Too funny, guys decide in advance that the movie must be crap because of historical inaccuracies on a bbs about a game that is in large part Spit v Spit and Corsair v Mustang.

[skorpion]

Too funny, guys decide in advance that the movie must be crap because of historical inaccuracies on a bbs about a game that is in large part Spit v Spit and Corsair v Mustang.

QFT.

also, the best part of that preview was that 262 going bye bye. the p51 crazy flip, well, thats obviously a bit off but do we have to get into a big brouhaha about it?

[Karnak]

Anybody hear anything on the progress on Peter Jackson's remake of "Dambusters"?

[Bodhi]

Too funny, guys decide in advance that the movie must be crap because of historical inaccuracies on a bbs about a game that is in large part Spit v Spit and Corsair v Mustang.

I don't know about you, but some of us have spent a large majority of our adult lives in the restoration business and really get agitated that hollyweird and half-assed restorers take every liberty they can in trying to promote something for the "sake of history".  History deserves to be delivered in an untarnished manner.  When you change it for the sake of entertainment or pure laziness and don't do the research you do it a great disservice.  It is why many blatantly false rumors persist to this day.

[jimson]

I still think it will be cool to see some WW2 air combat scenes with big budget special effects and the correct (in general) planes, rather than ridiculous substitutes.

[Dichotomy]

I don't know about you, but some of us have spent a large majority of our adult lives in the restoration business and really get agitated that hollyweird and half-assed restorers take every liberty they can in trying to promote something for the "sake of history".  History deserves to be delivered in an untarnished manner.  When you change it for the sake of entertainment or pure laziness and don't do the research you do it a great disservice.  It is why many blatantly false rumors persist to this day.

Bodhi

You know I like and respect you but I disagree on this point.  The hollyweird guy got it right.  THEY have to, for lack of a better phrase, dumb down, their entertainment to what the general public will buy.  True historians have the job of getting it 'right'.

So the question is.  Would you prefer a dumbed down version that will sell and possibly encourage people to research and learn or no version at all?

[PFactorDave]

Bodhi

You know I like and respect you but I disagree on this point.  The hollyweird guy got it right.  THEY have to, for lack of a better phrase, dumb down, their entertainment to what the general public will buy.  True historians have the job of getting it 'right'.

So the question is.  Would you prefer a dumbed down version that will sell and possibly encourage people to research and learn or no version at all?

I agree.  It would be nice if Hollywood got it right for once, but it's enough (in my opinion) that they produce something that will interest a new generation to the topic.  The ones with enough interest will eventually learn of the errors for themselves.

[Melvin]

My problem with the deal is that Lucas has sooooo much cash, yet he still can't get it "right".