In the rarified class of "Movies that make Ted cry like a girl" is the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, followed closely by Saving Private Ryan, The Bucket List, and Miami Vice.The last one only because I grew up watching the show, think Colin Farrell and Jamie Fox were perfect for the roles, and it ended up stinking worse than Ishtar.
Back to Band of Brothers, it's a 10 episode miniseries that centers on the experiences of E Company ("Easy Company") of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division and one of its officers, Richard Winters. This same company landed at Normandy on D Day, fought at the Battle of the Bulge, and captured Hitler's Eagles Nest.
For the most part, it's a fantastic story about these normal, everyday men who helped liberate Europe from Hitler and the Germans. If you like WWII stuff, in my opinion this is at the top of the list.
As I was channel surfing this afternoon while all the inmates were asleep, I came across a replay on the History Channel; Episode 9, titled "Why We Fight", was just coming on. If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it for you. But I've seen this series 4 times all the way through, and it still get's REALLY dusty everytime I see this particular episode.
Bad thing is it's right before the last one, "Points", that wraps up the whole series as the war ends. You get a voice over telling you what happened to each one of the company who survived, and then some interviews with some men who are still alive today. Including Major Richard Winters, who closes the series with this:
He tells a story about his grand daughter asking him if he was a hero in the war; he replies by saying no, GrandDad wasn't a hero. He did, however, serve in a Company filled with hero's. Get's me everytime. If you haven't seen this yet and WWII is just stuff you've read about in a History Book, you owe it to yourselves and men like Richard Winters to check it out.
You won't be dissapointed.
After church ended this morning, Ang stopped to speak to someone and I went to get the kids. 15 minutes later, after I had gone upstairs to get Ciera, picked up Rakes from his class, and gotten Trot out of the nursery, I found her. Still talking to her friend. So I sent Ciera to get the car keys for me to load them up to go home.
Apparently distracted by butterflies in the sanctuary, I found her 5 minutes later, but without any keys to give me. Under implicit threats of permanent groundings, I told her to watch Heckle and Jeckle, found Ang and got the keys. As I turned to leave, there was Rakes, on the platform where the pulpit is, microphone in hand.
Before I could get to him he was bellowing some song about "Soldja Boy", which I later found out Ciera had taught him.
I think I'll sleep in next Sunday; after all, it's SUPPOSED to be a day of rest.
22 comments:
Ummm - Ted?
You teach next Sunday.
(Karen)
Crap, Karen, I forgot!
Since you busted me, I'll be there.
Then the Sunday AFTER next Sunday I'll stay home. ;)
My dad used to watch Band of Brothers. I think he still has it actually.
Seeing Rakes doing the Soulja Boy song and dance at church is something to LOL about it. If you don't know what it is, search "Soulja Boy" on youtube, you'll find out soon enough =]!
Ted. It is a great series man...A good buddy of mine and I watched it on a deployment in 03, then repeated that with another buddy of mine in 04 while on another one.
The book is equally as good, but the shows bring a tear more then the book can in some ways. Actually hearing the parties relay the stories is in a word, wow.
Blackhawk Down hits me like this as well for a few reasons, not least of which is Blackburn's age (both 18 in 93).
Incidently, I've got season 1 and 2 of Miami Vice to relive the 80's man so you're even more alright in my book. If ya don't own em, I recommend em. I find I reminisce a lot now that I'm early in the 30 somethings.
Krystle, Ciera and her Mom were watching the pre show Grammy stuff tonight, so I got enough. That little sucker doesn't miss a trick!
Wayne, I read the book too. And I'm with you, the series is better because of the interviews with the surviving guys. It really brings it to life, you know?
In Baltimore 2 years ago, my brother and I sat next to a guy who did tours in both Iraq wars and Somalia. He told us hands down Somalia was the scariest place he'd ever been. "Black Hawk Down" is another great movie.
I don't own the DVD's, but I didn't miss an episode the whole time it was on. They do replays on the "Sleuth Network" and I catch them when I can.
Hey Ted we agree on a show. Kinda scary. After watching Band of Bro. it really started bugging me when I hear players, coaches, BE it Baseball or Football or Hockey. And they refer to a big game as going to war . Makes me want to tell them to take their pathetic little ball and go home.
Well i guess in keeping with your theme of War movies, it was only appropriate that Rakes sang that song right? the more i read, the more i think Rakes and I are related.
Bub, I agree. The war metaphor's when it comes to sports are a little weak, right?
Tex, I hadn't thought of it like that, but you are right. Weird.
And the more I know you, and the older Rakes gets, it wouldn't surprise me if you two WERE related somehow!
Hmm , don't think that song has anything to do with war.
::rolls eyes at Scott::
Scotty, seeing as how I've only heard the song sung in "Rakesese", I have no clue what it's about.
Though I have my guesses.
LOL! he doesn't huh? I was going back and forth between Extreme Makeover Home Edition, where the kids got to meet, oh my, HANNAH MONTANA! and the Grammys. I saw what I had to see and it's off to bed for me.
Stay in school, Krystle. Or you'll end up like me. Even though I graduated college.
Band of Brothers has got to be top of the list as far as war films go. It gets me every time. And realizing that all of those men were newbies, that they were in combat for the first time in their lives on D-Day, and they did what was required of them. They were the first to jump out of a perfectly good airplane in a warzone.
And Winters...man, that man is a hero if there's ever been one. Read his autobiography...again, the fact that he was a regular guy who did such extraordinary things...amazing.
Have you seen "We Were Soldiers"? I saw it with my dad, who is a Viet Nam vet. Very powerful.
Four pitchers are in Ft Myers now!!! Lestah. Matsuzaka (still can't make myself call him Dice-K). Clay. and Joshy! ::breathes deeply:: Can you smell the pine tar & leather??
dawn. no offense but please dont refer to Beckett as joshy...it makes him sound so so so NOT Beckett. :)
Newt, Frank Winters was/is a mans man. I LOVE that series.
Dawn, I did see We Were Soldiers, and it was very good. And yep, you can almost smell the pine tar; it's almost HERE.
Tex is protective of Josh, Dawn. You know they are friends, right? ;)
Oh - I have another "my school will never be into the red sox" story.
Today, i was commenting on Wayne's blog and the school librarian got mad at me because it was school related.
I was done ALL of my work, I swear! It only took me an hour to put a poster together...so tech. My school will become a Red Sox planet school when I leave, I can smell it.
\\Tex is protective of Josh, Dawn. You know they are friends, right?//
you're not making fun of me are you?
Krystle, tell her Wayne is in the military and to back off.
Tex, you KNOW I'd never pick on you. ;) How you feeling today, btw?
Sorry, Tex. All the boys end up with nicknames. "Joshy" stuck because it's what my Gram called my younger brother for years, so it came naturally to me. I do also refer to him as The Commander (as in SG's "Commander Kick Ass") as well. I will try to refrain from calling him Joshy in your presence, but it's a force of habit. ;-)
Dawn, Tex is just protective of Beckett. :) Besides, you have a legitimate reason for calling him that.
I do prefer the Commander, myself!
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