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    Generation Kill

    Should I be excited? I believe the first episode aired over the weekend in the US. Did anyone watch it? I think I might have to search for it on the lovely internet.

    #2
    Generation Kill

    PM for Nil.

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      #3
      Generation Kill

      Seen and thank you.

      That being my first PM of the new board lets me see how poor the PM setup is compared to the old board.

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        #4
        Generation Kill

        PM to save Nil, surely.

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          #5
          Generation Kill

          I watched it, overall I'm reserving judgement but the signs are good. It's certainly not a waste of time and some of the marine banter is great. Most of it is blatant homophobia or racism which may (or may not) be ironic. I think playing with that edge is going to be one of the show's potential strengths. The audience surrogate is an embedded Rolling Stone reporter, who appears half way through the first episode, up until his introduction the dialogue and personalities are quite confusing. It's a large cast and it'll take a while to fully establish the principal characters, I wonder if seven or eight episodes is enough?

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            #6
            Generation Kill

            It's by the guy who did The Wire, so you'd expect it not to be in a rush to establish its characters; indeed, for it to make a virtue out of the viewers' initial confusion about who everyone is and what the hell is going on.

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              #7
              Generation Kill

              Oh yes, and I expected that approach. The Wire had a long time to build though, I just wonder whether an abbreviated series will allow that to happen.

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                #8
                Generation Kill

                It was a project that HBO brought to Simon and he made the decision, given that he was working over 7 hours or whatever and not 60 (as with The Wire) to be as faithful to the original book as possible and not bring his own political opinions to bear on the thing. He particularly wanted to get the perspective of the marines, warts and all.

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                  #9
                  Generation Kill

                  Oh there are plenty of warts alright.

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                    #10
                    Generation Kill

                    I watched this last night. I was very impressed. Is it based on a book written by the Rolling Stone reporter? I know I'm going to watch the 7 episodes and not know a single characters name at the end of it apart from Godfather.

                    There were a couple of Basil Exposition moments though. The soldiers seemed realistically portrayed to me. I wouldn't have a brainfart whilst watching though.

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                      #11
                      Generation Kill

                      I really want to see this. Is it on BitTorrent yet?

                      They had David Simon on the Culture Show last night. He seems a really interesting guy, although the interview was ruined by Lauren Laverne's dicking about.

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                        #12
                        Generation Kill

                        PM for Mitch.

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                          #13
                          Generation Kill

                          To start with, he's extremely interesting as he took one of the most bizarre routes to powerful television producer that's ever been taken. Newspaper reporter, writes a book about the Baltimore Homicide Department, gets Baltimore native Barry Levinson to throw his weight behind a Homicide tv series, learn about tv producing during the series, start a short series called The Corner, start a regular series called The Wire, then get accolades for creating one of the best shows in tv history.

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                            #14
                            Generation Kill

                            Simon has a really low opinion of management, doesn't he? I know he is being faithful to the book but he doesn't hold back or make them symphatetic at all. I'm really impressed by the look of the programme, dusty and dirty, it's not sanitised at all.

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                              #15
                              Generation Kill

                              The second episode of this is up on Rapidshare if anyone wants the links.

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                                #16
                                Generation Kill

                                Three episodes in and it's really starting to swing.

                                Simon has a really low opinion of management, doesn't he?

                                No kidding. The older they are the more incompetent. You get the feeling that everyone over thirty five is an idiot, and If the NCO's were left to run things the entire war would be different.

                                —————— Minor Spoiler ———————

                                I love the ongoing textural stuff, the porn dialogues and especially the impromptu soundtrack, Tainted Love in a Hum-Vee. Great.

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                                  #17
                                  Generation Kill

                                  The New Yorker's TV critic doesn't like it

                                  I myself am really starting to enjoy it. Episode two was better than the first, and not just because more things were happening after all the initial exposition. Episode three has been safely downloaded already -- I'll give the links to anyone who wants them.

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                                    #18
                                    Generation Kill

                                    i'm surprised how many of the reviews talk about the characters blurring into each other. i haven't had trouble telling them apart, but the chicago tribune tv writer has helpfully posted pdfs of the guide that was distributed to reviewers, which explains the chain of command among other things.

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                                      #19
                                      Generation Kill

                                      We were pitched abruptly into an exclusive culture with it's own structure and language. There were no clear introductions of the principals — a TV convention — and everyone wears a uniform. I can see why there would be initial resistance. By the middle of episode two, it becomes clearer, we're sticking mainly with Bravo Company's individuals and issues. If people tune out early they'll regret it, the show has cult hit written all over it. Word of mouth will build but it'll be over before its found its audience. DVD sales will be over the moon later.

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                                        #20
                                        Generation Kill

                                        what i have learned from generation kill so far:

                                        the US military sifts its ranks for the very finest specimens of american manhood to serve in the recon marines. only the top 1% need apply, 50% of these don't make it through training. the white heat of the selection process forges an exalted race of warrior supermen unequalled in the history of human conflict. they are then led into battle by mr blobby and the baltimore sun managing editor from series 5 of the wire.

                                        i agree with david simon that careerist glory-hunting is a bad thing - but is it really the driving passion behind all human activity from middle-management up?

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                                          #21
                                          Generation Kill

                                          In real life James Ransone would stand even less chance of becoming a US Marine than I would.

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                                            #22
                                            Generation Kill

                                            i read some of the original rolling stone reports on which this is based and my criticism on the last page is unfair. simon & burns haven't imposed any of their own worldview on the material, the TV series appears totally faithful to the reports.

                                            have seen the first four episodes now, really enjoying it.

                                            "before we step off on this next mission i'm reminding you of who the enemy really is. the enemy."

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                                              #23
                                              Generation Kill

                                              I've seen three episodes now, and it takes you at least an episode to start to remember who is who (particularly as some of the characters change once their actually at war i.e. Bart) Then again this was always going to be a problem with marines, (I found black hawk down very confusing, then again I wasn't very motivated to even bother remembering who was who in that piece of shit movie)

                                              i agree with david simon that careerist glory-hunting is a bad thing - but is it really the driving passion behind all human activity from middle-management up?

                                              yes. While It is hard to believe Godfather's incredible Kitcheneresque thirst to sacrifice his men to get noticed by the general, but remember when the americans were ordering the english to dislodge the russians from belgrade Airport by force, or the various races to liberate something or other in WWII.

                                              I remember us having a short discussion about the Baltimore Sun on the old board. That was a very accurate description of what is happening to the US news industry. Shit, add in more swearing, shave 30 points off everyones iq and it could pass for the Irish independent. They're generally pretty fair.

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                                                #24
                                                Generation Kill

                                                add in more swearing, shave 30 points off everyones iq and it could pass for the Irish independent
                                                ha ha ha

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                                                  #25
                                                  Generation Kill

                                                  The Irish Independent is a very dead, somnolent place to work. Without yet having seen season 5 of The Wire, I'd imagine the office of the Baltimore Sun would be a fair bit livelier.

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