So while I've been busy getting all excited about season 2 of "The Wire" and starting with "Sports Night," I've been taking advantage of the post-season lull to dive back into "Band of Brothers." History Channel did a Memorial Day marathon, and HBO has been featuring the episodes On Demand, plus I have the DVDs, so it's been easy (and a good motivational tool for when I need to ride the exer-cycle). I started out watching them for fun, but as I go through the episodes, I keep thinking to myself, "Boy, I wish I had a blog back when this aired." And I'm kinda thinking I want to add it to the summer rotationBut the episodes are only up On Demand until June 8, and since the DVDs are both less available and more expensive than the ones for "The Wire" or "Sports Night," we kind of have a week and a half to do this where the episodes are available to as wide a group as possible. And I don't have time to do 10 episodes in 10 days or so, even if I'm being briefer than I'd be on "The Wire." (And I would be briefer. Like I said, I'm riding the bike while watching these, so no notes are being taken, and I'd only do this for fun.)
So here's my question: how many people either have the DVDs available, or remember the miniseries well enough, or would be willing/able to watch 'em On Demand now and wait for the reviews when they come to discuss them, to make it worth whatever time I'd be spending on it?
Thoughts?
UPDATE: Okay, response has been overwhelming enough that I'm gonna do it. Not sure of the schedule, or format, but look for something early next week.
86 comments:
I have the DVDs and recently re-watched them, so I'd be interested in a blog entry on these episodes.
Absolutely.
I recently rewatched the entire mini during a particularly boring weekend and would love to see it reviewed here.
Count me in.
I have the DVDs. I'd love to read your thoughts on this show!
Once more into the breach!
I've been looking for an excuse to check it out. God bless you Mr. Sepinwall. It's like you opened up my head and plucked out a wish.
I have the DVDs on hand so I would love for you to go through these even if they were just brief blurbs.
There is something to be said for having something for posterity. Last week I finished The Sopranos and was able to find some of your early blog posts covering the last season or two. So just maybe doing them and having them on your blog so that people can watch them and come back even if it's a year or two from now.
Please please start blogging Band of Brothers! I too wish you had this blog back when it originally aired...and since many of the alums show up every now and then in shows it would be great to hear your thoughts on their performances from back before they were known.
I noticed the episodes On Demand and was planning on watching them. I'd def. appreciate some analysis. I promise to comment and everything.
I'm on ep. 2.Started after finishing Life, so some Damien Lewis infatuation there. Cuhahee!
Allen! I just bought the dvds, and actually have yet to watch this acclaimed series. I would be ecstatic if you were to do some commentaries for them! You are the man. You got the best taste of any critic around. And that includes the red baron, Tim Goodman.
i have the DVDs and would love to undertake a summer watch along with you (it'll be the first time for me!)
I would read your recaps for the best miniseries ever, no doubt.
Ummm....Yes, please! Seriously, my husband is drooling as I read this out loud to him. He says to tell you, "We're in."
I'm sure the dvds are currently available at Target. So please please do recap it for Summer.
I watched the first episode months ago, but school derailed me. However, I still have my brother's copy of the series, so I'd welcome an excuse to get back into it. I say go for it
I have the DVDs and would be all over this. Your mention of BoB on Twitter over the weekend made me really excited to do a re-watch on my own, and of course this would be a million times better.
I most certainly do have the DVDs. I love this miniseries and I would watch again and discuss here.
Should I mention my man-crush on Damian Lewis now, or save it for the blog review? Since Life is no more, BoB will have to do. . .
please!
Yes, yes, and yes please.
Hell yes.
Do it. I actually stored up a previous History holiday marathon on DVR and was hoping to get to it this summer.
I'm in! what a great series.
Yes please.
I remember watching the DVDs a couple of months ago and doing a search here to see if you had anything to say about the show. Imagine my disappointment when there was nothing.
"Captain Sobel, we salute the rank, not the man."
Awesome mini-series and I would be an active commenter to your analysis.
I have the DVDs. I would love to see it blogged by you!
After watching BoB in its original run, and catching bits and pieces in reruns over the years since then (and then reading the book and Dick Winters's memoirs last year), I finally gave in and bought the DVDs a few months ago.
I'd really like to give them a dedicated rewatch this summer, and your blogging them would make that even better! I'm in.
Please do! I have them on blu-ray and watch them any time on they're on TV,.
Not that it's going to sway you, but I just watched Band of Brothers for the first time in February, and I found it pretty bad. The story was fine, and the acting was good, but I thought it was over-directed and too sentimental. I also thought the actors seemed to be on separate stages, so absent was the chemistry. In addition, I felt the death toll depicted was strikingly unrealistic, in a show that claimed more realism than your average war movie. But have fun with it anyways.
If you write them, I'll read. However, it might be a bit neater if you hold off on them until HBO airs "The Pacific." I think blogging on both shows simultaneously would complement each other nicely, although I realize that might be a bit too time consuming.
Why am I guessing that Byron was a fan of Kath & Kim?
I've been looking for something good to Netflix, this will be great!
Any chance of doing Generation Kill also this summer?
I have these on DVD and it's definitely a "go to" whenever I'm in the mood for a war movie. It blows the doors off just about any other I can think of. I would definitely love to see you blog these.
I also own the DVDs and would really like to see you blog about it.
The first disc is at the top of my Netflix queue as we speak!
i've been meaning to find an excuse to watch this again, so let's rock and roll already.
I was just poking around onDemand the other day and thought I might like to start watching this sometime soon. Of course, I am way too busy to watch all ten by June 8th, but there's always Netflix.
I've been meaning to catch this since it first aired but have never found the time for it (didn't even realize it was airing on On Demand). Having reviews and discussion here would be an excellent motivator.
Please do so Alan!
Any chance of doing Generation Kill also this summer?
Did that one last summer, as it aired. Do a search for it on the blog.
I also started re-watching this, and I think it would be great if you could blog along!
If not this year, then next?
I vote YES.
I was completely sucked into the marathon on Saturday, even though I own the DVD's. Count me in the "yes" column.
Yes! I'd do it via On Demand
Isn't accusing someone of liking Kath & Kim a blatant violation of the "Be Nice" rule?
I would love to read your thoughts on the series.
Please do it Alan! It's one of my favourite series, and I have the DVDs.
Gettin' my wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow so this will be perfect for a long down weekend.
But Alan, if you can save Chuck surely you can get HBO to extend BoB On Demand, Surely!
I also would be interested in reading it. I haven't seen it since it first premiered but I remember at the time being impressed by the paratrooper sequence and, more importantly, having a hard time telling characters apart.
Absolutely. Have the DVDs and still got sucked in to watching the History Channel marathon last weekend. Would love to read your thoughts.
I never saw Band of Brothers when it aired - war films and shows never held much interest for me. But I have heard such good things about the show that I've wanted to watch it for a while, but just never got around to it. So I absolutely vote for any coverage you can offer as an ideal prompt for me to watch the show. (It helps that I know someone I can borrow the DVDs from.)
If you have time, I do think longer, more considered posts would be ideal. The posts will live for a long time on this blog, and it would be a shame if future viewers find only cursory coverage to meet an arbitrary On Demand deadline.
Hell with it. I'm in. Will figure out schedule/format later, but look for something next week.
Let me just go blouse my trousers and I'll get started.
But I want good comments, or else all your weekend passes will be revoked.
I have the DVDs.
If you do this, you almost have to do "From the Earth to the Moon" at some point.
They are both brilliant, and watching one always makes me want to dive into the other.
Does "Currahee!" count as a good comment? How bout "Damien Lewis is awesome" or "Office Space 2: Band of Brothers"?
I see you're going ahead so this is redundant, but I'm in: got hooked on it during a Remembrance Day marathon - interesting to see where certain actors ended up over the years.
I think the DVD is cheap enough - the Blu-Ray edition is either recently out or on schedule, so folks may be dumping the old ones in anticipation.
And that moment you mentioned on Twitter about Spears charging in? Definitely "hell yeah" fist pump.
I'm in too. A friend has it and I had asked to borrow it anyway. And I promise to only make exciting, in-depth, and enlightening comments.
Looking forward to the reviews. BoB gets better every time I watch it, mostly because so much of the cast has gotten more exposure. I re-watched it last year and got thrown for a loop when Simon Pegg showed up in it.
And then James McAvoy.
And then Jamie Bamber.
I second ghoti, it would be amazing if you did From the Earth to the Moon some day. I've given it to people as gifts and it's surprising how few people remember it. And it deserves to be remembered, it is definitely one of the best things HBO has done.
From Jan:
I, too, have the DVDs but haven't watched them yet (they were really cheap one day on Amazon, so I snapped them up). I'm in. Looking forward to your reviews of them, which will give me the impetus to watch them at last. I watched most of it when it was originally on, but don't remember it all that well. And I'm sure I didn't know half the people in the series at the time: Damien Lewis, Simon Pegg, etc.
As for the claims of an unrealistic death toll, I've read the Stephen Ambrose book, and almost all the characters are real people, and those that were killed were killed and those that were wounded were wounded pretty much as it is depicted in the series. Those interviews at the beginning and end of the episodes are the actual guys.
A lot of the many actors in the series keep popping up. I just re-watched Rome and saw Lt. Welsh as Pompey's son, and I double-taked when I figured out Lt. Spiers is the dad on Gossip Girl.
I like this idea of going back and writing about shows that aired before your blog here existed. Do you mind if I submit my request?
My first choice without question would be Deadwood Season 1. I bet I could get a lot of "seconds" on that nomination.
I'm not normally into war movies, but a friend recommended this a few years ago and I am truly grateful. Damian Lewis was a wonder (and I had only seen him as Soames Forsythe prior to this). I even bought the DVD set for my father because this is exactly the kind of thing he loves.
This makes me ache that Life is not on anymore... someone get Damian Lewis a new show pronto!!
Absolutely! I watched the series for the umpteenth time on History Channel over Memorial Weekend. The acting and directing are genius. This series has battle scenes that are actually easy to follow and may be the best battle scenes regarding WW II ever(along with D Day in Saving Private Ryan). Hey Alan, which of the ten episodes is your favorite? Mine is "The Breaking Point".
Count me in Alan. I've watched the mini-series at least 20 times since I got the DVDs at Blockbuster in a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale ($40 total when it was going for $100 brand new) plus Spider-man, since the store packaged Disc 5 and 6 together.
If I could, I would drive to Pennsylvania to thank Major Richard D. Winters in person. After watching the mini-series, I felt like he was a all-around 1st class kind of guy.
I have the DVD's and actually have not seen them yet. I would be delighted if you would post short reviews of Band of Brothers as it woukld motivat eme to finally watch it.
Never saw it and just bought the bluray. Can't wait for ur thoughts. Thanks
Absolutely. IMO, BoB is neck and neck with From the Earth to the Moon as the best mini-series ever (sorry, Thorn Birds!). Can't wait.
This is a great idea, it'd be a great warm up for The Pacific!
yep, like someone else said, I also wanted to drive up to visit winters IMMEDIATELY after watching it aired originally. then again when i bought hte set the day it came out. Remains the only actual set I have (was always waitin on wire complete set)
so please do it, tehre are tons of us around, as you figured out, plus I will do it off memory cuz my set is boxed up way across the atlantic.
also can i kick it off and say HOW GREAT and empathetic donnie walhberg's acting and character (respectively) was, and how overlooked maybe it was. anyway. fantastic.
cant wait for the review of the ep where Speirs runs thru the town. eep!
I also just got sucked back into BoB during the Memorial Day Marathon. So much so that I picked up the book "Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers" at Barnes & Noble.
There are some interesting stories from guys not featured in the miniseries and an interview with Sobel's son. Makes you realize there are two sides to every story.
I just watched this for the first time and LOVED it, and I'm not someone who likes war-related entertainment all that much. I'm so excited to read your take on it, Alan!
Absolutely!
For my money, Band of Brothers if the best "piece" of film I've ever seen. If I did a ranking of all my favorite movies and TV shows in one list, Band of Brothers would be #1.
Sports Night and Band of Brothers in the same summer? With Frankie Sobotka? Gonna be good.
-DamnYankees
Awesome! I am so looking forward to this now.
I've wanted to watch this mini-series for ages and just never have. I don't have HBO so I won't be able to do on demand, but I'll see if I can't rent it. I'd love to follow along with you.
Ooh. Can't wait.
Yes yes yes on Band of Brothers!
I haven't read through other comments yet, so I hope I'm not repeating...Any word on when Pacific comes to HBO?
This whole discussion is making me want to re-watch it. Unfortunately, my brother has the DVDs so I'm just gonna get 'em from Netflix.
It's like you're in my head. Sports Night is one of my all time favorite shows, I just finished making my way through the wire a week or two ago, and am watching Band of Brothers now. So yeah, I approve.
Its funny that you bring this up. I have just started to watch these again as well. I own the DVDS.
Oh, oh, and I almost forgot. Ahh, I'm also going to need you to go ahead and climb Currahee too, yeah.
Lumbergh
Bring on BoB posts and can't wait for the Pacific War whenever it's on.
oh, this is great. i bought the blu ray, watched the first episode, and haven't had time to go back to it. perfect excuse to watch it now.
Love this series!
I watch "Day of Days" (the DDay landing episode) every June 6th.
Will be a good excuse to re-watch the series on DVD.
How can it be that the series is 8 years old this September?!
Like you said about 'Life', nobody is better with a gun then Damian Lewis.
Wholi
Explanation for how this will work.
Thanks for the personal attack, Mr. Martino. That was awesome.
OMG I loved that series!! Damien Lewis and the rest of the cast were amazing!! I'd love to read your reviews here:)
Thanks for the personal attack, Mr. Martino. That was awesome.
Yeah, remember Rule #1 for commenting: be nice, and critique the shows, not each other.
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