Holy crap, there was a lot going on on TV last night. Not only were people all a-Twitter about the NCAA tournament and the health care reform debate, but there was some absolutely amazing cable programming as well. Such as:
LIFE (Discovery) — I got goosebumps just watching the teaser intro before it started (see video below). Just hours and hours of high-definition animals in slow-motion; I often found myself with my jaw agape. My only suggestion for improvement: Oprah out as narrator, Sam Elliott in.
BREAKING BAD (AMC) — Depending on who you trust at Ownage du Cinema, the season premiere was either a disappointment that “lacked the sense of relentless forward motion which so characterized the first two seasons” or OWNAGE that provided “VALUABLE LIFE LESSONS IN THE REALM OF OWNAGE.” Regardless, everyone should be able to agree that there’s no denying the power of the final scene.
THE PACIFIC (HBO) — I am no longer qualified to write about this with any pretense of objectivity. Watching a recreation of John Basilone’s heroics that won him the Medal of Honor — an act that has grown from history to legend to religious event in Marine Corps lore — was, for me, like a devout Christian watching The Passion of the Christ: it doesn’t matter what details are changed for dramatic effect, because any critical judgment is overpowered by the emotion from actually seeing an event that lived only in your mind for so long. I have no idea if this show works for anyone who didn’t serve in the Marines, and frankly I don’t really care. It works for me, and that’s good enough.
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I caught part of Life before finally hitting Justified on the DVR. Agreed that Oprah is a terrible narrator.
As for Justified… I think Timothy Olyphant needs to take a shit.
I’ll agree, I’m pro-Life as well.
The dramatic narratives of “Life” are incredible. One minute you’re like, “Awww, a cute little baby ibex.” Fifteen seconds later: “OH FUCK LOOK OUT FOR THAT FOX BABY IBEX!!!!” It can be traumatic.
A side benefit of watching “The Pacific” has been my wife learning about history. She had never heard of Guadalcanal.
I refuse to watch nature documentaries not narrated by David Attenborough. What’s that you say? The BBC has a version of “Life” narrated by David Attenborough available as a 24-disk DVD box set? Take THAT, Oprah.
Fingers crossed for C-SPAN: Only the Badass Parts.
Walt should just take Skylar up on her offer. She sucks anyway. And she can’t even act. He should get those badass Mexicans to be his muscle and just start owning the meth world.
This probably goes without saying for someone with more brains than me but don’t wikipedia the characters in “The Pacific”…
Yea, Oprah was a real downer. Attenborough or GTFO. On the other hand, WHOA THAT CHAMELEON JUST BRAINED THAT PRAYING MANTIS…BOOM, HEADSHOT
My only suggestion for improvement: Oprah out as narrator …
She only agreed to narrate thinking it offered a lifetime supply of Life cereal.
Wait, you were in the marines?
Wait… Brandon’s a Marine? Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?
I can’t tell who’s being sarcastic and who isn’t. This site is written by me, Matt, a former Marine officer.
Is there ever a former marine? I call bull$h*t.
I heard Oprah is going to have that fox on her show later this month to shame it for its deceptive hunting strategies.
The Pacific totally works for me and I have no experience with the marines…other than drunkenly making out with them from time to time in Carlsbad bars in my twenties.
Is there ever a former marine? I call bull$h*t.
It’s the term “ex-Marine” that’s frowned upon. I say “former Marine” because to say otherwise would give the impression that I’m currently serving, which I’m not. Please stop being obtuse.
My grandfather served in the army in WWII, he passed 8 years ago but he did have the courage to view Private Ryan and did weep several times from it. My father cries at the end of it everytime remembering his father. I can’t imagine the deep connection a former serviceman feels to such graphically realistic media. Pacific is heartbreaking and gutwhrenching to an unheroic schmuck like me. Semper Fi Uff
I probably need to quit watching the Pacific before I leave my cop job it took 5 years to get, and become a 29 year old recruit at Parris Island.
I enjoyed Life but it was directed by a kid with ADD. They just seem to bounce around with no rhyme or reason. “Earth” had themes and a narrative. This is just “hey, we filmed a bunch of animals doing cool shit and assorted them in random scenes together.”
But dude serious DID THAT FLY JUST BLOW AIR INTO ITS HEAD AND BLOW IT UP LIKE A FUCKING BALLOON!?!? That’s the craziest mother fucking thing I’ve ever seen!
Only 2 more weeks until I get the Pacific on HBO here. CMONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN already!
(please try not to give too many spoilers kind sirs)
Wait, Oprah is a Marine?
Ok, let’s call a moratorium on the “Ufford is a marine?” jokes. We know, he references it a lot. You probably would too.
For what it’s worth, The Pacific works for civvies too. I practically pissed my pants when Basilone moved the bodies to clear the field of fire.
I want to know when Combat Cat is going to come out of retirement to do some promotion for The Pacific.
I swear to god I was sitting around with friends last week when we saw an ad for the Life series and then the little caption “narrated by Oprah” and the first thing I thought was Oprah has an awful voice, who the hell wants to listen to her about animals? Someone asked who should narrate it? Before I even remembered his real name I thought “The Cowboy”. Sam Elliot has the greatest voice ever, I could listen to him talk about what he ate for breakfast with rapt attention.
I’m just a history nerd who has never been a Marine, and The Pacific totally made me cry on Sunday (although I am a girl – I am also dead inside and cry very rarely). I’ve been in some pretty sketchy situations in the fire service, but thinking about the kind of shit those guys did, and the conditions under which they did it…makes me cry.
@Leapin_Lizards:
SPOILER ALERT – USA WINS!
Matt, even we Army folks, especially geezers like me, hold the Marines of the Pacific war in awe. My best friend’s father was a Marine on Iwo…earned the Silver Star…and despite rising to Colonel in the Army, considered himself to be first and foremost a U.S. Marine until he passed away last week. You just don’t see that in the other services.
BTW, AFN Iraq is showing The Pacific only 1 week delayed, and uncut. It humbles all of us here.
Loving The Pacific. I was an Active Duty Marine for 8 years and had the opportunity to spend time with the 1st MarDiv association conventions in the ’90s. There was still a good number of WWII dudes then, even one WWI cat from the 5th Marines. The stories of landings and jungle combat was amazing. The WWI of trench warfare and line assaults was crazy too. My gramps was a Marine pilot who flew B-25s over some of these Islands bombing the shit out of the Japanese and in support of ground troops. The visualization of this is just really mind-blowing. I’ve read the books this is based on and cannot what for what’s coming.
Matt, Keep writing about it!