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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 29, 2016 17:44:22 GMT -5
I watched Hoop Dreams (1994) on Sunday and I found it amazingly easy to just sit there and get drawn into it despite its three-hour running time.
And then yesterday I watched Night and Fog (1955), a 30-minute documentary on the Holocaust. They sure pack a wallop into 30 minutes! There's some footage here I've never seen before. I will never forget the bucket of heads.
There's almost too much to unpack in your post, Ish. A lot of movies I've never seen. Lives of a Bengal Lancer is a favorite from my childhood that I haven't seen for a very long time. I've seen the 1939 version of Beau Geste and I like it a lot. But I'm a lot more likely to think of the one from the 1960s because of Telly Savalas. It's just too stange! And then there's The Last Remake of Beau Geste, which I saw in the theater as a child, and I got it from Netflix just a few years ago. I love it!
Which brings us to Peter Ibbetsen, which I watched about a year ago because it's on the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list. It's fairly terrible. I liked the opening with Dickie Moore as young Peter Ibbetsen and Virginia Weidler as the girl. But then they grow up and it gets really dumb really fast.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 2:33:30 GMT -5
Movie Trivia Question Harper Valley P.T.A. was a hit single in 1968 10 years later, a movie was based on the song and starred Barbara Eden In 1967 this song was a big hit by Bobbie Gentry 9 years later, a movie starring Robbie Benson was based on the song So, what are other instances of movies based on a hit song that came out much later? I'm not talking about movies based on concept albums like Pink Floyd's The Wall or The Who's Tommy and Quadrophenia. i believe Purple Rain by Prince was made in conjunction with a movie and anyway that song really didn't have a story attached to it. Michael Jackson's Thriller comes close but it wasn't a full-length feature film. Songs that are part of musicals that were adapted to film do not count as well I'm sure there are other examples that took the story from a hit single and made it to film Harper Valley PTA was also a short-lived tv series.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 2:56:02 GMT -5
The wild geese, with Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris. Harh! That was fun! A real Boy's Adventure, in which grizzled old soldiers become mercenaries to help rescue an African president (a saint of a man) who is supposed to be dead but who in reality is kept in a jail! The action is very 1970s-like: machine guns going bratatata and guys randomly falling down, with a few trampoline + fireworks grenade explosions. It wasn't yet the era of graphically depicted viscera spewing everywhere. It still works, though, and practical effects go a long way with me. The politics is what makes the film so cool, though... We just loathe those fat cat politicians who strike deals behind closed doors and are ready to sacrifice their own agents when a better deal present itself. The film is also kind of progressive for its time: the African president is a visionary, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had been based on Nelson Mandela; there's also a stereotypical gay character who proves to be not only sympathetic but very heroic. There was still a lot of ground to cover, socially speaking, but the seeds of a more liberal world were there. I could get into a bit of a long debate about the politics (some positive, some negative) in the film; but, it's not really worth it. It is rousing adventure, though I have gripes with the military strategy in the film. Mike Hoare, the former commander of 5 Commando, the actual Wild Geese, in the Congo, was a technical advisor; but, his military record was always suspect and his memoirs paint a better picture of his military leadership in the Congo than more balanced accounts. One of the actors, Ian Yule, was an actual former mercenary, who served with Hoare in the Congo. you can also see him as (what else) a mercenary in the movie Killer Force. Many of the extras were South African army soldiers and after the film was made, South Africa's intelligence service hired Hoare to plan and execute a coup of the Seychelles Islands. the government had been peaceably toppled by a Marxist group, which made the South African government twitchy. Through agents, they hired Hoare, to give them an out. Hoare and his men went in, disguised as a rugby club, with weapons hidden in their luggage. Security wasn't tight; but, one of the men got into the wrong line at the airport, in the Seychelles, the "something to declare" line. His baggage was searched and a customs official found the outline of a weapon. All hell broke loose and Hoare's men got their weapons out. The Marxist government had Tanzanian military advisors, who brought in armored scout cars. Hoare hijacked an Air India flight to South Africa, though they claimed willing participation from the flight crew. Hoare was arrested and tried in South Africa, for the hijacking, and sentenced to a short prison spell. I used to have the novel, by Daniel Carney, which was based on the script he sold for the film (which was heavily rewritten. Rafer was supposed to be the one in trouble with the mob and there was another officer character, who had part of Sean's role. The Limbani and Peter Coertze dialogues were pretty much the same. Falkner doesn't make it out, either, in the novel. the film is helped by a superb performance from Winston Ntshona, one of South Africa's leading actors, along with John Kani, who played Jesse, and was King T'Chaka, in Captain America: Civil War. The pair wrote and starred in a couple of landmark anti-Apartheid plays: The Island and Sizwe Banzi is Dead. Roger Moore is the one who is most hard to swallow, as he ever makes a credible mercenary, Bond or no Bond. He did a couple of films for producer Euan Lloyd: this and the Sea Wolves. He also did another film with director Andrew V McLaglen (son of actor Victor McLaglen), ffolkes, aka North Sea Hijack aka Assault Force. I prefer Moore in the latter film, as he actually plays a character, not just Roger Moore in a new setting. In terms of books, you can't beat Frederick Forsyth's Dogs of War (which carney rips off, quite a bit). in terms of film, Wild Geese blows away Dogs of War. Great film and more accurate portrayal of mercenary soldiers in Africa is Dark of the Sun, aka The Mercenaries, with Rod Taylor, based on the novel by Wilbur Smith. It's brutal as all hell, without much sentiment and Taylor isn't particularly likeable and he is the hero! It's set during the Simba uprising in the Congo, though the novel was set earlier, during the Baluba War, which followed Congo's independence.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Nov 30, 2016 8:48:16 GMT -5
Which brings us to Peter Ibbetsen, which I watched about a year ago because it's on the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list. It's fairly terrible. I liked the opening with Dickie Moore as young Peter Ibbetsen and Virginia Weidler as the girl. But then they grow up and it gets really dumb really fast. With trepidation based on your comments, I watched Peter Ibbetsen last night. Since it's only 85 minutes, hopefully I wouldn't suffer too long. And yes, the first 17 minutes dealing with the two children was a delight. And yes, the next half hour, was a bit of a let-down. But I got to disagree, that final half hour was nothing I expected. For you see, we learn that Gary Cooper and Ann Harding might have been cinemas first examples of mutants or at least they both possessed Dr. Strange-type powers. Gary Cooper is serving a life sentence for murder and has his back broken by the prison guards. The love of his life Ann Harding can only pine away in sorrow. But each night they meet in a dream-like astral plane to go on picnics. And their psychic meetings go on for decades. This must be Professor X's favorite film.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 30, 2016 9:22:39 GMT -5
The wild geese, with Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris. Harh! That was fun! A real Boy's Adventure, in which grizzled old soldiers become mercenaries to help rescue an African president (a saint of a man) who is supposed to be dead but who in reality is kept in a jail! The action is very 1970s-like: machine guns going bratatata and guys randomly falling down, with a few trampoline + fireworks grenade explosions. It wasn't yet the era of graphically depicted viscera spewing everywhere. It still works, though, and practical effects go a long way with me. The politics is what makes the film so cool, though... We just loathe those fat cat politicians who strike deals behind closed doors and are ready to sacrifice their own agents when a better deal present itself. The film is also kind of progressive for its time: the African president is a visionary, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had been based on Nelson Mandela; there's also a stereotypical gay character who proves to be not only sympathetic but very heroic. There was still a lot of ground to cover, socially speaking, but the seeds of a more liberal world were there. I could get into a bit of a long debate about the politics (some positive, some negative) in the film; but, it's not really worth it. It is rousing adventure, though I have gripes with the military strategy in the film. Mike Hoare, the former commander of 5 Commando, the actual Wild Geese, in the Congo, was a technical advisor; but, his military record was always suspect and his memoirs paint a better picture of his military leadership in the Congo than more balanced accounts. One of the actors, Ian Yule, was an actual former mercenary, who served with Hoare in the Congo. you can also see him as (what else) a mercenary in the movie Killer Force. Many of the extras were South African army soldiers and after the film was made, South Africa's intelligence service hired Hoare to plan and execute a coup of the Seychelles Islands. the government had been peaceably toppled by a Marxist group, which made the South African government twitchy. Through agents, they hired Hoare, to give them an out. Hoare and his men went in, disguised as a rugby club, with weapons hidden in their luggage. Security wasn't tight; but, one of the men got into the wrong line at the airport, in the Seychelles, the "something to declare" line. His baggage was searched and a customs official found the outline of a weapon. All hell broke loose and Hoare's men got their weapons out. The Marxist government had Tanzanian military advisors, who brought in armored scout cars. Hoare hijacked an Air India flight to South Africa, though they claimed willing participation from the flight crew. Hoare was arrested and tried in South Africa, for the hijacking, and sentenced to a short prison spell. I used to have the novel, by Daniel Carney, which was based on the script he sold for the film (which was heavily rewritten. Rafer was supposed to be the one in trouble with the mob and there was another officer character, who had part of Sean's role. The Limbani and Peter Coertze dialogues were pretty much the same. Falkner doesn't make it out, either, in the novel. the film is helped by a superb performance from Winston Ntshona, one of South Africa's leading actors, along with John Kani, who played Jesse, and was King T'Chaka, in Captain America: Civil War. The pair wrote and starred in a couple of landmark anti-Apartheid plays: The Island and Sizwe Banzi is Dead. Roger Moore is the one who is most hard to swallow, as he ever makes a credible mercenary, Bond or no Bond. He did a couple of films for producer Euan Lloyd: this and the Sea Wolves. He also did another film with director Andrew V McLaglen (son of actor Victor McLaglen), ffolkes, aka North Sea Hijack aka Assault Force. I prefer Moore in the latter film, as he actually plays a character, not just Roger Moore in a new setting. In terms of books, you can't beat Frederick Forsyth's Dogs of War (which carney rips off, quite a bit). in terms of film, Wild Geese blows away Dogs of War. Great film and more accurate portrayal of mercenary soldiers in Africa is Dark of the Sun, aka The Mercenaries, with Rod Taylor, based on the novel by Wilbur Smith. It's brutal as all hell, without much sentiment and Taylor isn't particularly likeable and he is the hero! It's set during the Simba uprising in the Congo, though the novel was set earlier, during the Baluba War, which followed Congo's independence. Fascinating stuff, codystarbuck. I have personally no military experience, but the scene at the bridge struck me as very odd... Does it make sense for people to just stay in a stalled truck like sitting ducks while a plane zooms down with its guns blazing? I would have have skedaddled as soon as I heard its engine!
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 11:25:05 GMT -5
I could get into a bit of a long debate about the politics (some positive, some negative) in the film; but, it's not really worth it. It is rousing adventure, though I have gripes with the military strategy in the film. Mike Hoare, the former commander of 5 Commando, the actual Wild Geese, in the Congo, was a technical advisor; but, his military record was always suspect and his memoirs paint a better picture of his military leadership in the Congo than more balanced accounts. One of the actors, Ian Yule, was an actual former mercenary, who served with Hoare in the Congo. you can also see him as (what else) a mercenary in the movie Killer Force. Many of the extras were South African army soldiers and after the film was made, South Africa's intelligence service hired Hoare to plan and execute a coup of the Seychelles Islands. the government had been peaceably toppled by a Marxist group, which made the South African government twitchy. Through agents, they hired Hoare, to give them an out. Hoare and his men went in, disguised as a rugby club, with weapons hidden in their luggage. Security wasn't tight; but, one of the men got into the wrong line at the airport, in the Seychelles, the "something to declare" line. His baggage was searched and a customs official found the outline of a weapon. All hell broke loose and Hoare's men got their weapons out. The Marxist government had Tanzanian military advisors, who brought in armored scout cars. Hoare hijacked an Air India flight to South Africa, though they claimed willing participation from the flight crew. Hoare was arrested and tried in South Africa, for the hijacking, and sentenced to a short prison spell. I used to have the novel, by Daniel Carney, which was based on the script he sold for the film (which was heavily rewritten. Rafer was supposed to be the one in trouble with the mob and there was another officer character, who had part of Sean's role. The Limbani and Peter Coertze dialogues were pretty much the same. Falkner doesn't make it out, either, in the novel. the film is helped by a superb performance from Winston Ntshona, one of South Africa's leading actors, along with John Kani, who played Jesse, and was King T'Chaka, in Captain America: Civil War. The pair wrote and starred in a couple of landmark anti-Apartheid plays: The Island and Sizwe Banzi is Dead. Roger Moore is the one who is most hard to swallow, as he ever makes a credible mercenary, Bond or no Bond. He did a couple of films for producer Euan Lloyd: this and the Sea Wolves. He also did another film with director Andrew V McLaglen (son of actor Victor McLaglen), ffolkes, aka North Sea Hijack aka Assault Force. I prefer Moore in the latter film, as he actually plays a character, not just Roger Moore in a new setting. In terms of books, you can't beat Frederick Forsyth's Dogs of War (which carney rips off, quite a bit). in terms of film, Wild Geese blows away Dogs of War. Great film and more accurate portrayal of mercenary soldiers in Africa is Dark of the Sun, aka The Mercenaries, with Rod Taylor, based on the novel by Wilbur Smith. It's brutal as all hell, without much sentiment and Taylor isn't particularly likeable and he is the hero! It's set during the Simba uprising in the Congo, though the novel was set earlier, during the Baluba War, which followed Congo's independence. Fascinating stuff, codystarbuck. I have personally no military experience, but the scene at the bridge struck me as very odd... Does it make sense for people to just stay in a stalled truck like sitting ducks while a plane zooms down with its guns blazing? I would have have skedaddled as soon as I heard its engine! Nope; the thing to do is head for cover. The sillier strategy was the parachute jump. Why risk a jump, and having your men spread all over creation, when you could fake an emergency landing and seize the airport in one go; and, keep the plane under your control? Why would these mercenaries trust pilots they had never worked with to come back for them? It just didn't work. The cyanide gas was another ridiculous idea. Where are they even supposed to get that? It just doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. The beauty of the film, though, is it pounds right along and you are caught up in scenes with great actors, so you don't dwell on it. I have a bigger problem with Whitty, the gay medic. It was way too camp. Kenneth Griffith is a great actor; but, anyone with that kind of combat experience isn't likely to act like Mr Humphries, even as an affectation. The funny thing is, Limbani was inspired by Moise Tshombe, the former leader of the Katanga separatist state (one of the most mineral-rich parts of the Congo), who used mercenaries to prop up his government, before caving into the UN and the Congolese government. he was later brought back as prime minister, during the Simba revolt, and brought back the mercenaries, including Mike Hoare and the Frenchman Bob Denard (who worked for French intelligence, keeping tabs on their interests there). He was hardly an inspiring figure. He basically was a corrupt, money grubbing SOB, like the rest of the gang of cutthroats fighting for power in the Congo. He was deposed in a coup by Joseph Mboutu, who was head of the army., with the help of the CIA and believed to have been killed in prison. carney based his story on a rumor of a plane making an emergency landing in Rhodesia, with a group of mercenaries and the alleged dying Tshombe. If the CIA took the guy out, mercenaries weren't going to be rescuing them. I think Carney talked a load of kudu poo-doo; but, it made a great yarn. He also bought into Hoare's memoirs about the mercenaries being the best soldiers there. Most of them had never even been in the army and few were professionals. he had a couple with real experience: Jon "Jon-Jon" Peters, who served in the South African SAS, and Siegfred Mueller, who had been in the Hitler Youth and Wehrmacht, at the end of WW2, when the Allies closed in on Germany. Mueller would wear his Iron Cross on his uniform, inspiring a character in Dark of the Sun, who wears a swastika on his. I read Hoare's book and he makes it sound like they won great battles, although he admits that most of the men hed had had very little military background. The French 6 Commando, under Denard, had some ex-Legionnaires; but, not many. During the Simba revolt, they took over Stanleyville and rounded up all of the white Europeans, threatening to kill them all. A military operation was mounted, with Belgian paracommandos, transported by US Air Force transport planes, who airdropped and seized the airport and then secured the town. Hoare's mercenaries were to travel by land and link up with the Belgians, reinforcing them. The Belgian operation went off like clockwork, as they were trained and skilled professionals (trained by the British SAS); the mercenary operation was a mess and they took forever to get there. Hoare's Seychelles campaign should be turned into a movie, to show how bad a planner he was. His little coup was undone by one customs officer. That's not a guy I would follow into battle. Professional military have a pretty low opinion of mercenaries. Anyone who fights for money is likely to fight for whoever pays the most and only as long as it is worth it. The mercenaries of Katanga avoided clashing with the UN troops, as they knew they were outclassed. They stuck to minor skirmishes. Our recent wars have seen guys like Blackwater, who cause more problems than they solve, yet get paid better. Nothing but opportunist parasites; but, they make for romantic figures in adventure stories. The pulps were filled with tales of Legionnaires, soldiers of fortune, and pirates. Really, the one mercenary whose life would make for a great movie is Bob Denard. he actually was an ex-policeman, not a soldier, before serving in the Congo. He basically was an agent of French intelligence; but, made a pile of cash there. He had a couple of other contracts then retired. then, he led a coup of the Comoros Islands, off the coast of Africa. The islands were known for their flowers, which are used in perfume manufacture, in France. he had the blessings of the French government. He then launched a second coup, ousting the man he put in power (and murdering him) and setting himself and his mercenaries up as rulers of the island. Finally, he became an embarrassment to the French and they sent troops in to restore the government and arrest him. He stood trial for murder; but, was acquitted. There was a book about his Comoros adventures, called Last of the Pirates, which was really good and would make great fodder for a film. Somebody like Vincent Cassell would be great as Denard.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 30, 2016 13:11:53 GMT -5
More and more fascinating stuff!
The bit with the plane was explained in the movie by having it a regular flight at high altitude; they didn't want to attract even the least of attention. My guess is that even a "normal" event like an emergency landing caused by mechanical problems might have raised the alert level on the ground (although those prison guards didn't seem to be on top of their game).
I remember that in the short-lived series "Skull the slayer" at Marvel, there was a gang of mercenaries with African experience featured at one point... I wonder if it was inspired by all the material you refer to. That was sometimes in the '70s so the dates coincide.
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 30, 2016 13:21:08 GMT -5
Fascinating stuff, codystarbuck. I have personally no military experience, but the scene at the bridge struck me as very odd... Does it make sense for people to just stay in a stalled truck like sitting ducks while a plane zooms down with its guns blazing? I would have have skedaddled as soon as I heard its engine! Yes, because you can do what Sgt. Rock does and shoot down the plane with a tommy gun. Works every time.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2016 13:27:31 GMT -5
Yes, because you can do what Sgt. Rock does and shoot down the plane with a tommy gun. Works every time. Now that was funny! (I'd never heard of Sgt Rock before either, so I loved those covers.)
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 30, 2016 13:39:16 GMT -5
Yes, because you can do what Sgt. Rock does and shoot down the plane with a tommy gun. Works every time. Now that was funny! (I'd never heard of Sgt Rock before either, so I loved those covers.)Sign up for my on-line course immediately!
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 14:02:23 GMT -5
More and more fascinating stuff! The bit with the plane was explained in the movie by having it a regular flight at high altitude; they didn't want to attract even the least of attention. My guess is that even a "normal" event like an emergency landing caused by mechanical problems might have raised the alert level on the ground (although those prison guards didn't seem to be on top of their game). I remember that in the short-lived series "Skull the slayer" at Marvel, there was a gang of mercenaries with African experience featured at one point... I wonder if it was inspired by all the material you refer to. That was sometimes in the '70s so the dates coincide. Well the thing with the plane is, yes, it's a scheduled flight; but, it's Africa and we aren't talking about top of the line aircraft. We usually mean old planes, like the Dakota the mercenaries use to get our. It would have been more accurate if they had been flown in on one of those, instead of the more modern C-130. An emergency landing, of an old plane, is probably pretty commonplace and wouldn't necessarily have aroused suspicion. As you see, it's an early morning. Now, leaving that aside, the mercenaries could have snuck in across the border, on the ground. the problem there would be it would need to be from friendly territory. They leave it kind of nebulous as to where in Africa they are, though the mercs train in Swaziland (I think it was Mozambique, in the book) which is southwest Africa. They mention Limbani in conjunction with the Congo Crisis (probably referring to the katanga secession and chaos that followed) and make it seem like the Congo, which is in central Africa. Assuming it's the Congo, they would need to enter via Tanzania, the Sudan, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), Zambia, or Angola. Angola was in the midst of a civil war, with mercenaries involved. Possible, though rather chaotic. Tanzania would be iffy, as far as being friendly. The Republic of the Congo was a major focal point of the larger Congo state, so it's border would be heavily watched. Sudan wasn't very friendly. No idea about Zambia. The movie strategy works well enough; but, realistically, the men wouldn't likely be experienced in airborne operations and they didn't have enough time to even give rudimentary training. It's Hollywood (well, international filmmaking). The film alludes to Matheson having enough influence to get Faulkner into a country where he is persona non grata, has the blessing of the Foreign Office (via the military advisor, played by Patrick Allen, who okays the plan). The UK had a lot of problem with mercenaries being recruited there for Africa and other parts of the world. By that point in time, they had been embarrassed by Costas Georgiou, aka Callan (after the tv series, with Edward Woodward) and his men in Angola. They didn't take to kindly to that sort of thing, as it had blown up in their face too often. Still, you had several "security companies" provide mercenaries to Arab states, as trainers and advisors. It usually boils down to whether the contract falls within the interests of the state, as with denard and the French and Hoare in the Congo. Belgium never fully gave up their interests and were backing Tshombe in the Katanga secession. Patrice Lumumba had taken steps to nationalize things, which ticked off Belgium. Lumumba was killed in Katanga, probably by Mobutu, with Belgian backing. All that aside, the film is pretty much a template for romantic men's adventure. We have tough, but flawed heroes, recruiting others to rescue a man who may be the future of Africa. sounds very noble. Then, everything falls apart and they end up on the run, trying to fight their way out. It's the 70s, so it doesn't exactly have a happy ending. By contrast, The Dogs of War presents a similar idea (and did it earlier, in the novel) of a mining company financing mercenaries to launch a coup, to seize power of a minor African state, which has hidden mineral wealth (platinum, in this case). The mercenaries recruit and buy arms, then transport them and their men to this state to launch their coup; but, there is a double cross, though of a different kind (Forsyth loves his twist endings). Forsyth based his characters on real mercenaries who served in the Nigerian Civil War, when the Biafran state seceded. forsyth covered it as a journalist, then became embroiled in it, as a sort of spokesman for Col. Ojukwu, the Biafran leader. the novel features a version of the Colonel (who Forsyth adnired) and mercenaries like Taffy Williams, who was the basis for the hero, Cat Shannon. The movie version has some of it; but, a lot gets dumped. I buy Christopher Walken as a mercenary (to a point) and Paul Freeman is excellent; but, Tom Berenger is a bit over the top (especially compared to Platoon). Winston Ntshona is also in that, playing a jailed rival of the African ruler in this state, who ends up treating Walken, in jail, after he has been beaten and interrogated by the military, while conducting an undercover reconnaissance. It's a pretty decent film; but, never rises to the level of the novel, Dark of the Sun or The Wild Geese. By the by, have you ever seen the sequel, Wild Geese II? Not as readily seen and definitely not the same kind of film. It features Scott Glen and Edward Fox as mercenaries hired to break Rudolf Hess out of Spandau Prison. Fox is supposed to be the brother of Richard Burton's Faulkner (Burton was set to play the same character, when he died), while Glen is a Palestinian (a Falangist), who has worked as a mercenary soldier. It was also produced by Euan Lloyd (with Peter Hunt, from the Bond films, directing), and has Ingrid Pitt in a small role, as a prostitute, who is working with some Germans. Pitt was also in Lloyd's The Final Option (aka Who Dares Wins). lewis Collins, who starred in Final Option, claims he was supposed to star; but, the role was given to Scott Glen, to better sell it in America (it was a fop). The film also has barbara Carrerra as a journalist, who is launches the mission. Laurence Olivier has a small roll as hess, but his health was very bad, at the time. Roger Moore turned down returning as Shawn Fynn, saying he didn't like the script. Smart move. It's not bad; but, it's very disjointed and you hardly sympathize with the objective.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 14:03:59 GMT -5
Yes, because you can do what Sgt. Rock does and shoot down the plane with a tommy gun. Works every time. Now that was funny! (I'd never heard of Sgt Rock before either, so I loved those covers.) The 1960s Sgt Rock stories, from Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert are tremendous reads. Some of the best writing and art that DC had, surpassed only by Enemy Ace.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 20:34:50 GMT -5
Fascinating stuff, codystarbuck. I have personally no military experience, but the scene at the bridge struck me as very odd... Does it make sense for people to just stay in a stalled truck like sitting ducks while a plane zooms down with its guns blazing? I would have have skedaddled as soon as I heard its engine! Yes, because you can do what Sgt. Rock does and shoot down the plane with a tommy gun. Works every time. Aw that's not such a big deal. They are too low to pull out, no matter what. Those guys were dead; he's just saving them from feeling the engine shoved through their torso.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 1, 2016 4:22:48 GMT -5
Watched The General Died At Dawn (1936) starring Gary Cooper and Madeleine Carroll. Takes place in China were Cooper is helping the rebels against a vicious warlord. Madeleine Carroll at first betrays Cooper, then switches sides. The movie improves as it goes along and winds up as quite an action filled first-rate thriller But throughout the movie, Cooper keeps reminding me of Harrison Ford and Madeleine Carroll keeps reminding me of Madonna. Strange. Gary Cooper even had a little pet Wookie with him
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2016 14:27:19 GMT -5
I'd never heard of Sgt Rock before either, so I loved those covers. The 1960s Sgt Rock stories, from Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert are tremendous reads. Some of the best writing and art that DC had, surpassed only by Enemy Ace. We probably didn't get many of them (if any) in the racks this side of the Atlantic in the 1960s, so there might not be any in the bargain boxes in the (few) comic shops that we do have here in Ireland, but if I do see any of Sgt. Rock's adventures on my travels I will definitely check them out...
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