'Generation Kill' June 16

[RandellG]

The HBO Miniseries 'Generation Kill' is going to be released on December 16.

Based on the national best-selling book by Evan Wright, Generation Kill is an authentic and vividly detailed 7 part HBO mini-series event that presents a uniquely epic and intimate portrait of the first 40 days of the Iraq war from the perspective of the Marines of the First Recon Battalion – a new breed of American soldiers. The mini-series tells the story of these young Marines physical and emotional journey into the heart of Baghdad in those initial weeks, and how the war reveals to be much more complicated, problematic and tragic than anyone had contemplated. Many of the complications and problems that arise are due to the unwieldy military bureaucracy which the Marines confront in the midst of the war, the challenges of over-zealous and incompetent commanding officers, ever-changing rules of engagement, a non-existent strategy, severe deficiencies in necessary armor and supplies, and an enemy they don’t understand. Generation Kill is a humorous and frightening first hand account of these remarkable men, of the personal toll of victory, and of the brutality, camaraderie and bureaucracy of a new American war. It is a profoundly insightful and realistic look at the risk, costs and ultimately, the failures of the war. Written and produced by Emmy-award winner David Simon (the Wire), and also produced by the award-winning George Faber (Elizabeth I).

List Price: $79.98
AMZ Pre-order: $59.95

[RandellG]

And I am sooo getting it

It will also be up at Warner, or should, isn't yet though

[onthecake]

Cant wait for this one.

Best war drama since Band of Brothers which is also coming to blu in November!

Anyone who has not seen this needs to watch it. Great acting, great production value. I just wished this had been a longer series.

[Feminism Rug]

Brilliant miniseries by the team who brought us the best tv series of all time, "The Wire." It's a must own for me, and a recommended blind buy for all who appreciate great television.

[DrMaustus]

I'm going to go against the grain on this one and tell people to check it out using...*ahem* other means before blind-buying it. I have all 7 episodes but I haven't even watched the last one yet.

Perhaps it's the point, but I found that nothing much happened in this series. If you want shoot-em-up action, it's probably not for you. I also didn't much like any of the characters -- unlike Band of Brothers. I found most of the people annoying.

Let me say that I love war movies. I was just disappointed in this series.

I will say that if you're a fan of realistic portrayals of modern warfare and the modern soldier, including military terminology and slang, then you might enjoy this.

[Guns4Hire]

It was decent. But was lacking in a certain something. Wasnt as good a series as 'Over There' but still decent enough to own on BD.

[Caligula]

Originally Posted by DrMaustus

I'm going to go against the grain on this one and tell people to check it out using...*ahem* other means before blind-buying it. I have all 7 episodes but I haven't even watched the last one yet.

Perhaps it's the point, but I found that nothing much happened in this series. If you want shoot-em-up action, it's probably not for you. I also didn't much like any of the characters -- unlike Band of Brothers. I found most of the people annoying.

Let me say that I love war movies. I was just disappointed in this series.

I will say that if you're a fan of realistic portrayals of modern warfare and the modern soldier, including military terminology and slang, then you might enjoy this.

I agree with you, i stopped watching it on second episode. Felt this had no impact for me. If it ever will be on good sale, ill get it but not day one.

[Windows V]

I only watched a few clips, but from what I saw (and I also read the book), the series seemed to be a strong drama with a war backdrop, more along the lines of, say, M*A*S*H than something more action-heavy like Band of Brothers. Friends of mine who came in expecting a modern BoB were obviously disappointed, as were those expecting a heroic "do-no-wrong" portrayal of men in uniform.

Soapbox moment here - let's face it people, nobody's perfect, not even those who volunteer in the military. The higher we raise them up to epic heights, the harder they come crashing down when something tragic like the Haditha incident happens.

When this comes out, I'll be renting the DVD to see if it's worth owning. If the PQ is great and I like it, the genkill Blu-ray will be right next to the BoB Blu-ray on my library shelf.

[DrMaustus]

Don't get me started on MASH (hated that too).

Seriously, you make some good points.

It might not be a fair comparison, but to me, BoB's characters were much more endearing, but still flawed. With the exception of Winters, I think most of Easy Company showed some obvious flaws, which made them believable and human. When I think of the characters from GK, the one that sticks out in my mind the most was the driver because he was so annoying with his singing and blatant (repressed?) homophobia. I was actually hoping he'd die before the series ended. Finally, and I'll preface this by saying that I didn't make it through all seven episodes (watched six), but I didn't see much of an arc or character development in GK. To me, all of the characters seemed pretty one dimensional. You had the white trash/racists, you had the cowardly officer, and you had the "good" NCOs.

Although you could argue that we look back on WWII vets like those portrayed in BoB with a sense of romanticism (the Allied ones that is), I much preferred the stories of the men of Easy Company. I think you could look at all those men and consider them heroes. I'd have a hard time thinking that anyone in GK was a hero. Perhaps that was the author's intent -- to depict a modern war without hearoes -- but it didn't work as art or entertainment for me. I think BoB (and hopefully the upcoming "Pacific") has simply raised the bar too high.

Originally Posted by Windows V

I only watched a few clips, but from what I saw (and I also read the book), the series seemed to be a strong drama with a war backdrop, more along the lines of, say, M*A*S*H than something more action-heavy like Band of Brothers. Friends of mine who came in expecting a modern BoB were obviously disappointed, as were those expecting a heroic "do-no-wrong" portrayal of men in uniform.

Soapbox moment here - let's face it people, nobody's perfect, not even those who volunteer in the military. The higher we raise them up to epic heights, the harder they come crashing down when something tragic like the Haditha incident happens.

When this comes out, I'll be renting the DVD to see if it's worth owning. If the PQ is great and I like it, the genkill Blu-ray will be right next to the BoB Blu-ray on my library shelf.

[jurples]

I watched the entire series and enjoyed it enough, but like Mad Men, after already seeing it once I just don't feel any kind of desire to go out and buy it / watch it again.

[mosman22]

Ed burns never ceases to amaze with his biting, realistic and thought provoking dialogue. Between this and the wire, Ed is truly a master. I couldn't disagree with the haters more, this show kicked ass and was the best thing on tv this year. What is wrong with the people talking about 'there was no action" every week there was a new kick ass screen. Remember how bad ass was it when they took out a whole building with a 50 cal. The bridge crossing, couldn't have been more exciting.

It seems some people want action just for the sake of it, newsflash, action and war scenes are MORE effective when you are emotionally invested in the characters. If the whole show was just blowing shit up, that would get old real quick not to mention characters deaths or moral dilemas would have practically no impact, it's called DRAMA people not BSUS(blow shit up show).

[creedes]

Did this get delayed or cancelled?

[leonardodm]

Finished checking december issue of Qore, Sony Official PSN digital magazine, and it is announced...for dec 16,2008.

On the twitter link you can find the screencap of the Qore ep.

http://twitter.com/leonardodm/status/1100178790

[jgriffaz]

When I think of the characters from GK, the one that sticks out in my mind the most was the driver because he was so annoying with his singing and blatant (repressed?) homophobia. I was actually hoping he'd die before the series ended.

Two words: Ripped Fuel

[Super-VHS]

From BD.com

HBO Home Entertainment in conjunction with Warner Home Video has announced that they will bring the mini-series 'Generation Kill' to Blu-ray on June 16th. Spread across a three-disc set, video will be presented in 1080p VC-1 accompanied by a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.

Extras have not fully been detailed, but it is assumed 'Generation Kill' will see the same extras that appeared on the previously released DVD counterpart.

Known Blu-ray extras for the release include:

• Generation Kill
• Military Glossary
• Chain of Command Chart
• Mission Maps