Recently Been Watching...

[Sean Clark]

Not Gary C was it?

[Leman (Andy)]

I thought Gary C was the star of High Noon.

Boxed off another weird and wonderful Netflix offering over the last couple of nights. "I am not okay with this" is pretty good and for some reason is presented in 7 short episodes, which together would make a decent film. Initially I thought it would be one of the awful semi-professional things that occaisionally pop up on Netflix, but this had proper actors and high production values and was really rather good.

Also watched recently "Geronimo - an American Legend." Anything with Robert Duvall in it is always worth a watch.

[Leslie BT]

Chris Roope.  He also worked on the first film of Nativity.
And other TV shows.
He lives in London.

[Moggy]

The film Waterloo is on now. great film with Christopher Plummer and Rod Steiger.   Looks very grainy now though lol

Derek

[Leman (Andy)]

I don't know what it is about Waterloo, but I went to see it at the cinema when it first came out, and watched it again recently on a big TV, and I just don't rate it. Far better was The Charge of the Light Brigade, but maybe it's just that I prefer the later C19th.

[Colonel Kilgore]

I finished watching "Danger Close: the Battle of Long Tan" last night.

I thought it was very well done, with decent shots of the various kit in use too.

Simon

[Moggy]

Watched the new "All quite on the Western Front" last night. Its OK but preferred the old version in black and white with subtitles. Just seemed more atmospheric.

Derek

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

I don't know what it is about Waterloo, but I went to see it at the cinema when it first came out, and watched it again recently on a big TV, and I just don't rate it.

Far better for me were the battle scenes (Borodino etc.) in Sergei Bondarchuk's 'War & Peace'... the scene with the gunner's ears bleeding is still powerful for me... Christopher Plummer's portrayal of Wellesley was good though... I was fortunate enough in my work to handle the sword Wellesley actually wore at Waterloo. I pictured Christopher Plummer's face as Wellesley at that moment.

Neil

[Richardwills]

Just watched Danger Close.  A really good tribute to the Aussies.  Extremely good film and a real attempt to portray combat.     For once a film with a high attention to the military detail - soldiers in equipment; in proper tactical formations; using tactical signs and proper radio language.  Shame other films and TV programmes can't make the effort!

Thoroughly recommended.

Richard

PS. Simon - thanks for the heads up!

[Colonel Kilgore]

Glad you enjoyed it Richard, and that in this instance our cinematographic tastes matched! 

Simon

[Sean Clark]

I first watched Danger Close just before playing in Big Mike's  Long Tan game at the weekender. It really set the scene for a wonderful game. Probably in my top 5 war films of all time.

[Colonel Kilgore]

Watching the film has certainly helped with my motivation to get things ready for our Vietnam game at Beachhead.

Simon

[Colonel Kilgore]

I've just watched a 2019 documentary that I recorded from the Smithsonian Channel over Christmas: 'Combat Ships: Viking Longships'.

It covered the development, construction and use of the longship, from the Bronze Age to 1066, while focusing on the
Viking Age itself: some nice reconstructions as well as good detail from the excavated ships in the Oslo museum.

I enjoyed it!

Simon

[Richardwills]

Been watching the latest Ken Burns documentary series - The US and the Holocaust..  Three two hour episodes.  As brilliant as all his previous works, but very hard viewing. 

For all that, thoroughly recommended. History that people should learn.

Richard

[Leman (Andy)]

Watched the new "All quite on the Western Front" last night. Its OK but preferred the old version in black and white with subtitles. Just seemed more atmospheric.

Derek

I also found this new version very disappointing. I think I was hoping for a technically updated version of the original in German. This current version seems like a totally different series of events made for schlock effect. The ending was frankly ridiculous, with the November 11th battlefield looking like something out of Passchendaele, rather than the landscape of the land beyond the trenches. I know there were some units that literally fought until 11am, but not a major offensive followed by a major tank counterattack. Definitely a lost opportunity.