TV/Movies Megathread

[Savonarola]

Oh man....I used to watch that when I was little.

It's not a bad show; although a bit formulaic (Caine wanders into a new town, faces discrimination, tries to avoid conflict, isn't able to, then Kung Fus the hell out of the bad guys; plus there's flashbacks with Shaolin wisdom.) 

David Carradine's limits as a martial artist are obvious.  The casting director said that Bruce Lee auditioned for the role (well, he said he barged into his office and started showing off his nunchaku skills, but that amounts to the same thing), but he couldn't understand much of what Bruce Lee said.  Since martial arts plays a very limited role in the show (about two minutes in a forty minute episode), I don't think it would have worked with Bruce Lee as Caine.

[Josquius]

Oh man....I used to watch that when I was little.

It's not a bad show; although a bit formulaic (Caine wanders into a new town, faces discrimination, tries to avoid conflict, isn't able to, then Kung Fus the hell out of the bad guys; plus there's flashbacks with Shaolin wisdom.) 

David Carradine's limits as a martial artist are obvious.  The casting director said that Bruce Lee auditioned for the role (well, he said he barged into his office and started showing off his nunchaku skills, but that amounts to the same thing), but he couldn't understand much of what Bruce Lee said.  Since martial arts plays a very limited role in the show (about two minutes in a forty minute episode), I don't think it would have worked with Bruce Lee as Caine.

I thought it was well known that Bruce Lee originally developed the show and was rejected from being the lead due to racism?
It's certainly the version the Bruce Lee biopic tells.
Untrue?

[HVC]

Oh man....I used to watch that when I was little.

Never saw the original, but I used to watched the sequel.

[Barrister]

Oh man....I used to watch that when I was little.

Never saw the original, but I used to watched the sequel.

Yeah, I remember the sequel show - Kung Fu - The Legend Continues.

It was a straight to syndication show and was deeply mediocre.


(I also remember David Carradine's mysterious death in Thailand)

[HVC]

He's chocking himself in heaven with Michael Hutchence

[Savonarola]

I thought it was well known that Bruce Lee originally developed the show and was rejected from being the lead due to racism?
It's certainly the version the Bruce Lee biopic tells.
Untrue?

I think his wife claimed that.  I really don't know; but, having seen all Bruce Lee's movies, if he did have a television show in development, I doubt it would have been anything at all like Kung Fu.

[grumbler]

He's chocking himself in heaven with Michael Hutchence

And getting rubbed on the bitch.

[Admiral Yi]

Finally watched Yojimbo.  Very economical sword play.

[Syt]

Another familiar face showing up on Cheers: Leah Rimini as one of Carla's kids:

[crazy canuck]

Finally saw Napoleon.  I am not sure what the director was trying to do.  Putting aside all the hostorical inaccuracies, and the terrible depiction of the Battle of Waterloo, Inam not sure why the decision always made have Napoleon portrayed as having a heavy American accent, while everyone else, including his brother and mother, have different accents.

[Josquius]

Finally saw Napoleon.  I am not sure what the director was trying to do.  Putting aside all the hostorical inaccuracies, and the terrible depiction of the Battle of Waterloo, Inam not sure why the decision always made have Napoleon portrayed as having a heavy American accent, while everyone else, including his brother and mother, have different accents.

Not seen napoleon yet but that is one of my peeves in media.
Everyone is French so they have French accents? Great.

Its an American film with American actors so they just all sound American? Also OK.
Particularly brilliant if everyone from corsica is British to show you've thought of the contrast.

But when it's a mish mash with people who are meant to have the same upbringing from the same place being clearly from different sides of the planet.... No.

[Barrister]

Finally saw Napoleon.  I am not sure what the director was trying to do.  Putting aside all the hostorical inaccuracies, and the terrible depiction of the Battle of Waterloo, Inam not sure why the decision always made have Napoleon portrayed as having a heavy American accent, while everyone else, including his brother and mother, have different accents.

Not seen napoleon yet but that is one of my peeves in media.
Everyone is French so they have French accents? Great.

Its an American film with American actors so they just all sound American? Also OK.
Particularly brilliant if everyone from corsica is British to show you've thought of the contrast.

But when it's a mish mash with people who are meant to have the same upbringing from the same place being clearly from different sides of the planet.... No.

They made the mish-mash of accents work in Death of Stalin, but it helped that it was a comedy.

Few things though are as grating as a really bad accent.  If you want to cast a star like Joaquin Phoenix he maybe isn't quite as capable of a good French accent (and a bad French accent is really, really noticeable).  So perhaps you just figure to go with it and hope that the acting and the spectacle makes up for the accents.

[Josquius]

Finally saw Napoleon.  I am not sure what the director was trying to do.  Putting aside all the hostorical inaccuracies, and the terrible depiction of the Battle of Waterloo, Inam not sure why the decision always made have Napoleon portrayed as having a heavy American accent, while everyone else, including his brother and mother, have different accents.

Not seen napoleon yet but that is one of my peeves in media.
Everyone is French so they have French accents? Great.

Its an American film with American actors so they just all sound American? Also OK.
Particularly brilliant if everyone from corsica is British to show you've thought of the contrast.

But when it's a mish mash with people who are meant to have the same upbringing from the same place being clearly from different sides of the planet.... No.

They made the mish-mash of accents work in Death of Stalin, but it helped that it was a comedy.

Few things though are as grating as a really bad accent.  If you want to cast a star like Joaquin Phoenix he maybe isn't quite as capable of a good French accent (and a bad French accent is really, really noticeable).  So perhaps you just figure to go with it and hope that the acting and the spectacle makes up for the accents.

Death of stalin though was about a mishmash of odd characters from across the biggest country in the world.
This falls into the bit I mentioned about imagining a version with the corsicans all being British whilst everyone else is American.
Rome did this well too. Working class accents for working class Romans and posh accents for the upper classes. More recently Chernobyl really added to its realism in a similar way

[Grey Fox]

I've not seen Napoleon, nor will I.

However, I think suspension of disbelief is important with movies & tv series. Some sort of common thread between actors playing characters that are siblings is a sign of quality but I'm not interested in watching characters that would be speaking french in real life speak english in bad accents.

Death of Stalin is a great example of doing it right. What would different Russian speaking characters from different USSR regions sound like if the language was english instead?

[crazy canuck]

I've not seen Napoleon, nor will I.

However, I think suspension of disbelief is important with movies & tv series. Some sort of common thread between actors playing characters that are siblings is a sign of quality but I'm not interested in watching characters that would be speaking french in real life speak english in bad accents.

Death of Stalin is a great example of doing it right. What would different Russian speaking characters from different USSR regions sound like if the language was english instead?

I agree with both points.  But this was a mash up of accents that made no sense.  I suppose if one were to be very charitable Napoleon had an American accent to make it clear he was not from France. But then his mother probably should have had the same accent.

On the French side, some had British and some had French accents.  Only Nappy had an American accent.   The Russian Tsar had a Russian accent.  The British had British accents - as did the Austrians.  Which made it a bit odd when initially trying to figure out who was who.