Emmy Award winning "Band of Brothers", the 10-episode, 2001 WWII TV miniseries based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 non-fiction book, as well as the 2010 'companion' 10-episode miniseries "The Pacific", focusing on 'United States Marine Corps' actions in the 'Pacific Theater of Operations', are both now streaming on Netflix:
"...'Band of Brothers' dramatizes the history of 'Easy' Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th 'Parachute Infantry Regiment' of the '101st Airborne Division'...
"...from jump training in the United States through its participation in major actions in Europe, up until Japan's capitulation and the end of World War II.
"The events are based on Ambrose's research and recorded interviews with Easy Company veterans.
"'The Pacific' miniseries features the 1st 'Marine Division' battles in the Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu and Okinawa, as well as the Battle of Iwo Jima.
"It is based primarily on the memoirs of...
"...'Band of Brothers' dramatizes the history of 'Easy' Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th 'Parachute Infantry Regiment' of the '101st Airborne Division'...
"...from jump training in the United States through its participation in major actions in Europe, up until Japan's capitulation and the end of World War II.
"The events are based on Ambrose's research and recorded interviews with Easy Company veterans.
"'The Pacific' miniseries features the 1st 'Marine Division' battles in the Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu and Okinawa, as well as the Battle of Iwo Jima.
"It is based primarily on the memoirs of...
- 9/17/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the acclaimed companion series to Band Of Brothers follows three Us marines as they brave the South East Pacific war zone in World War II. This opening episode introduces us to the men following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. While Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) enlists straight away and serving Marine Sergeant John Basilone (Jon Seda) learns that he is to be plunged into the heart of the Pacific Operation, Alabama teenager Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) is devastated to hear that he will not be allowed to join the cause.
- 11/1/2013
- Sky Movies
October 1942: ferocious encounters with Japanese forces in the jungles of Guadalcanal open Private Leckie's (James Badge Dale) eyes to the true horror of war. A nighttime offensive to retake the airfield prompts an extraordinary act of bravery from Sergeant Basilone (Jon Seda) - but the human cost is huge. Back in Alabama, Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazello) is ecstatic to learn that he may get to fight after all.
- 11/1/2013
- Sky Movies
Tom Hanks and Ken Burns have teamed up with Audible.com to release a series of American history audiobooks to be narrated by famous history buffs—beginning with Tim O’Brien’s 1990 Vietnam War novel The Things They Carried, as read by Bryan Cranston. Future books in the series include Robert Leckie’s Helmet For My Pillow and E.B. Sledge’s With The Old Breed, which will be narrated by James Badge Dale and Joseph Mazzello, who played Leckie and Sledge in the Hanks-produced HBO series The Pacific, respectively. Burns’ selections for the rest of the collection include ...
- 10/18/2013
- avclub.com
HBO Home Entertainment have recently released two of the greatest TV Mini Series of all time together as one box set and we’ve been given the chance for one lucky person to win one. Band of Brother and The Pacific, Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are two of the most real series you could ever watch. If you’ve never seen them, you simply must. You can order your copy here or scroll down for your change to win a copy.
Get ready for the ultimate gift this Christmas as the award winning Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, are both released together in a stunning DVD and Blu-ray limited edition gift set for the first time ever on 7 November 2011 from HBO Home Entertainment.
Ten years after Band of Brothers first came to our screens, this beautifully packaged limited-edition gift set includes every visually stunning and heart-pounding episode,...
Get ready for the ultimate gift this Christmas as the award winning Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, are both released together in a stunning DVD and Blu-ray limited edition gift set for the first time ever on 7 November 2011 from HBO Home Entertainment.
Ten years after Band of Brothers first came to our screens, this beautifully packaged limited-edition gift set includes every visually stunning and heart-pounding episode,...
- 11/18/2011
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
As Christmas approaches it’s common to see swathes of DVD box sets filling up the shelves of shops around the country. Inevitably, many of these are the usual festive cash-ins, such as the obligatory Jeremy Clarkson and stand up comedy DVDs, or re-releases of TV shows and classic films. One such release (and a safe bet as a gift for Dads) is HBO’s combination set of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, released together for the first time in one deluxe edition box set.
While Band Of Brothers remains an undisputed TV classic – and rightly so – The Pacific has failed to click quite so well with many viewers. Critically the series has been unanimously well received, gaining its place on many ‘best of the year’ lists and receiving a handful of Emmy awards including best Mini-Series. Despite the glowing reviews, the response was a little more muted from...
While Band Of Brothers remains an undisputed TV classic – and rightly so – The Pacific has failed to click quite so well with many viewers. Critically the series has been unanimously well received, gaining its place on many ‘best of the year’ lists and receiving a handful of Emmy awards including best Mini-Series. Despite the glowing reviews, the response was a little more muted from...
- 11/15/2011
- by Stephen Leigh
- Obsessed with Film
This collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which tells the story of three marines fighting in the far east, is spectacular, horrifying and profound
With a final budget rumoured to be more than $200m (£122m), The Pacific is almost certainly the most expensive TV series ever made. The latest second world war collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it follows three Us marines fighting in the far east, and is based (with what I suspect is a generous definition of that word) on the memoirs of people who were there. Very little of the series, which first aired on Sky last year, isn't excellent.
Most of the money, you suspect, went on its monstrously spectacular battle scenes. You might feel rather ashamed of enjoying these. And you might feel, as I slightly did, that a show about a real war, and the real deaths of real people, is...
With a final budget rumoured to be more than $200m (£122m), The Pacific is almost certainly the most expensive TV series ever made. The latest second world war collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it follows three Us marines fighting in the far east, and is based (with what I suspect is a generous definition of that word) on the memoirs of people who were there. Very little of the series, which first aired on Sky last year, isn't excellent.
Most of the money, you suspect, went on its monstrously spectacular battle scenes. You might feel rather ashamed of enjoying these. And you might feel, as I slightly did, that a show about a real war, and the real deaths of real people, is...
- 8/4/2011
- by Leo Benedictus
- The Guardian - Film News
Add another recruit to Jon Chu’s growing cast of “G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes” — Joe Mazzello, who played shell-shocked soldier Eugene Sledge in “The Pacific” mini-series on HBO, will be playing Mouse, a role that, apparently, lots of young Hollywood studs were up for. All I could find about Mouse is here, where it’s mentioned that Mouse is “a Screaming Eagles character from the Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles series.” Mazzello joins returning Joes Channing Tatum and Ray Park, and Cobra Byung-hun Lee, with new castmembers Dwayne Johnson, Elodie Yung, RZA, D.J. Catrona, Ray Stevenson, and Adrianne Palicki...
- 7/27/2011
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
As soon as we thought we could predict the outcome of the Oscars, here comes another surprise! This one's brought to you by the Writers Guild of America. Picked for Best Original Screenplay was Christopher Nolan's "Inception." The director, famously dissed for not getting a Best Director Oscar nomination, may just win the Best Original Screenplay come Oscar night. Oscar front-runner, "The King's Speech" was not nominated because it didn't quality under union rules which prompted Nolan to say during his WGA acceptance award that he looked forward to a time when he could accept the award "without qualification."
That could be the beginning of a great script Mr. Nolan, go write it :happy
For adapted screenplay, I'm happy to report that Aaron Sorkin's fantastic script won! Based on "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich, "The Social Network" was the only film last year that I predicted to win this very category.
That could be the beginning of a great script Mr. Nolan, go write it :happy
For adapted screenplay, I'm happy to report that Aaron Sorkin's fantastic script won! Based on "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich, "The Social Network" was the only film last year that I predicted to win this very category.
- 2/7/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Two of the front-runners for the best screenplay awards at the Oscars confirmed their favorite status at the Writers Guild of America Awards Saturday night (Feb. 5).
"Inception" writer-director Christopher Nolan (above left) won the WGA's honor for best original screenplay at the ceremony, and Aaron Sorkin (above right) took home the award for best adapted screenplay for "The Social Network." His script is based on Ben Mezrich's book "The Accidental Billionaires."
Other awards went to the writing staff of "Mad Men" for best drama series, "Modern Family" for best comedy series and "Boardwalk Empire" for best new series. "Mad Men's" Erin Levy also won the award for best episodic drama for the episode "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword." The episodic comedy award went to Robert Carlock of "30 Rock" for "When It Rains, It Pours."
More winners are after the jump; you can see the full list at the WGA site.
"Inception" writer-director Christopher Nolan (above left) won the WGA's honor for best original screenplay at the ceremony, and Aaron Sorkin (above right) took home the award for best adapted screenplay for "The Social Network." His script is based on Ben Mezrich's book "The Accidental Billionaires."
Other awards went to the writing staff of "Mad Men" for best drama series, "Modern Family" for best comedy series and "Boardwalk Empire" for best new series. "Mad Men's" Erin Levy also won the award for best episodic drama for the episode "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword." The episodic comedy award went to Robert Carlock of "30 Rock" for "When It Rains, It Pours."
More winners are after the jump; you can see the full list at the WGA site.
- 2/6/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
HollywoodNews.com: The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) tonight announced the winners of the 2011 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, radio, news, promotional, videogame, and new media writing at simultaneous ceremonies at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel-Grand Ballroom in Los Angeles and the Axa Equitable Center in New York City.
Screen Winners
Original Screenplay
Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.
Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures
Documentary Screenplay
Inside Job, Written by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classic
Television Winners
Drama Series
Mad Men, Written by Jonathan Abrahams, Lisa Albert, Keith Huff, Jonathan Igla,Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy,
Tracy McMillan, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC
Comedy Series
Modern Family, Written by Jerry Collins,...
Screen Winners
Original Screenplay
Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.
Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures
Documentary Screenplay
Inside Job, Written by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classic
Television Winners
Drama Series
Mad Men, Written by Jonathan Abrahams, Lisa Albert, Keith Huff, Jonathan Igla,Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy,
Tracy McMillan, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC
Comedy Series
Modern Family, Written by Jerry Collins,...
- 2/6/2011
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
"I Love You Phillip Morris" came out of nowhere and secured a nod for the 2011 Writers Guild Awards. Based on the book by Steven McVicker, the film starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGRegor as prisoners in love received a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.
"Phillip Morris" will be competing with awards-favorites "127 Hours" (screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy), "The Social Network" (screenplay Aaron Sorkin), "The Town" (screenplay by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard), and True Grit (screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen).
In the Original Screenplay category, critics-darlings "Black Swan" (screenplay by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin), "The Fighter" (screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson), "Inception" (Christopher Nolan), and "The Kids Are All Right" (written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg) will be competing with "Please Give" by Nicole Holofcener. Much like "I Love You Phillip Morris," "Please Give," a family dramedy set in New York,...
"Phillip Morris" will be competing with awards-favorites "127 Hours" (screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy), "The Social Network" (screenplay Aaron Sorkin), "The Town" (screenplay by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard), and True Grit (screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen).
In the Original Screenplay category, critics-darlings "Black Swan" (screenplay by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin), "The Fighter" (screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson), "Inception" (Christopher Nolan), and "The Kids Are All Right" (written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg) will be competing with "Please Give" by Nicole Holofcener. Much like "I Love You Phillip Morris," "Please Give," a family dramedy set in New York,...
- 1/4/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
HollywoodNews.com: The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television, news, radio, promotional writing, and graphic animation during the 2010 season to be honored at the 2011 Writers Guild Awards on February 5, 2011, in Los Angeles and New York.
Television Nominees
Dramatic Series
Boardwalk Empire, Written by Meg Jackson, Lawrence Konner, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Margaret Nagle, Tim Van Patten, Paul Simms, Terence Winter; HBO
Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Tom Schnauz, John Shiban, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC
Dexter, Written by Scott Buck, Manny Coto, Charles H. Eglee, Lauren Gussis, Chip Johannessen, Jim Leonard, Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg, Tim Schlattmann, Wendy West; Showtime
Friday Night Lights, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Ron Fitzgerald, Etan Frankel, Monica Henderson, David Hudgins, Rolin Jones, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Derek Santos Olson, John Zinman; NBC
Mad Men,...
Television Nominees
Dramatic Series
Boardwalk Empire, Written by Meg Jackson, Lawrence Konner, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Margaret Nagle, Tim Van Patten, Paul Simms, Terence Winter; HBO
Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Tom Schnauz, John Shiban, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC
Dexter, Written by Scott Buck, Manny Coto, Charles H. Eglee, Lauren Gussis, Chip Johannessen, Jim Leonard, Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg, Tim Schlattmann, Wendy West; Showtime
Friday Night Lights, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Ron Fitzgerald, Etan Frankel, Monica Henderson, David Hudgins, Rolin Jones, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Derek Santos Olson, John Zinman; NBC
Mad Men,...
- 12/8/2010
- by Linny Lum
- Hollywoodnews.com
Produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman, The Pacific grips you instantly with a powerful story and reminds you of the sacrifice soldiers made during World War II . specifically the U.S. Marines fighting in the Pacific against the Japanese. The 10-part HBO mini-series comes to DVD housed in an incredible looking metal case and is a perfect companion to HBO.s equally great World War II series Band of Brothers. The Pacific is based in part on the books Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie, and With the Old Breed by Eugene B. Sledge with additional story material from Red Blood, Black Sand by Chuck Tatum and China Marine by Eugene B. Sledge. I...
- 11/10/2010
- by Patrick Luce
- Monsters and Critics
Steven Spielberg's fixation with the Second World War continues. He has given us Band of Brothers, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan and 1941 and he is on board here, along with Tom Hanks, as a producer. This costly ($150m) and lovingly-crafted HBO mini-series charts the true experiences of three Us Marines – Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), John Basilone (Jon Seda) and Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello, the boy in Jurassic Park) in the Pacific theatre of war.
- 11/5/2010
- The Independent - Film
Back in April / May, we went rather crazy for HBO’s TV series ‘The Pacific’. It was the follow-up TV series to the amazing, Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The series is now coming out on Blu-ray and DVD and HBO Home Entertainment have been kind enough to give us one Blu-ray set and one DVD set to give away.
The 10-episode series cost a massive $200m to make and is being released 1st November. You can pre-order your copy here. If you missed all our coverage, you can check it out here.
Synopsis: The year’s most anticipated cinematic event reaches DVD and Blu-ray on 1 November as HBO Home Entertainment releases The Pacific in special collectors’ edition metal tin box sets.
Executively produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, The Pacific sees Hollywood’s most-respected names reunite to uncover the true stories...
The 10-episode series cost a massive $200m to make and is being released 1st November. You can pre-order your copy here. If you missed all our coverage, you can check it out here.
Synopsis: The year’s most anticipated cinematic event reaches DVD and Blu-ray on 1 November as HBO Home Entertainment releases The Pacific in special collectors’ edition metal tin box sets.
Executively produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, The Pacific sees Hollywood’s most-respected names reunite to uncover the true stories...
- 10/28/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Rami Malek played yet another Muslim terrorist fanatic in the most recent season of “24″, but he also played the memorable Merriell Shelton aka Snafu in the HBO WWII mini-series “The Pacific”. You remember him, right? The soldier with the lazy Southern draw who eventually became one of E.B. Sledge’s best friends in the war? Malek recently joined the cast of Summit Entertainment’s two “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” films, where he’ll be playing a character name Benjamin, a member of an Egyptian vampire coven who has the ability to control the elements air, water, fire and earth. Benjamin and his peeps travel to Forks, Washington, home of Bella and company, in order to help out the Cullen clan in their battle with the douchey Volturi. Fun times, we assume, is had by all. Well, except for the ones that get decapitated. That will probably not be so much fun.
- 9/2/2010
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
At what point does a show like HBO's The Pacific become a recruiting poster for the glory of war?
I love war movies. Scenes of fighting men shooting the crap out of other fighting men nails me to the seat, goggle-eyed and excited as a kid. No matter how grisly the soldiers' wounds, how suffocating the jungle heat and nasty the maggots crawling over their shattered bodies, I'm seduced. Whether it's the seemingly unsentimental but ultimately glamorous Hurt Locker or John Wayne in that recruiting poster for the military, Sands of Iwo Jima or the faux-realistic Saving Private Ryan, I can't look away. It's a blood-and-guts thing, like the neanderthal emotions evoked by Patton (Ronald Reagan's favourite movie). As the old TV beer commercial used to say, it reaches parts of you that others don't. Specifically, the bowels not the mind.
Here in the Us, in the middle of two real wars,...
I love war movies. Scenes of fighting men shooting the crap out of other fighting men nails me to the seat, goggle-eyed and excited as a kid. No matter how grisly the soldiers' wounds, how suffocating the jungle heat and nasty the maggots crawling over their shattered bodies, I'm seduced. Whether it's the seemingly unsentimental but ultimately glamorous Hurt Locker or John Wayne in that recruiting poster for the military, Sands of Iwo Jima or the faux-realistic Saving Private Ryan, I can't look away. It's a blood-and-guts thing, like the neanderthal emotions evoked by Patton (Ronald Reagan's favourite movie). As the old TV beer commercial used to say, it reaches parts of you that others don't. Specifically, the bowels not the mind.
Here in the Us, in the middle of two real wars,...
- 5/18/2010
- by Clancy Sigal
- The Guardian - Film News
Filed under: Recaps, Finales
(E10) The war is over. What's left to say? A lot, actually. Just as Eugene Sledge was overwhelmed when he first got into the middle of the Pacific campaign, so was he completely out of sorts when he found himself back in Alabama. How do you take a boy and turn him into a man in the middle of bloodshed and carnage, and expect him to know what to do when he's back among civilized living?
Survivor's guilt, post-traumatic stress and learning how to be a civilian again were the facet of war explored this time around. We also got some familiar faces and names to go with all those veterans who've been sharing their stories in the opening moments of each chapter. One of them was Sledge's best friend, Sidney Phillips.
Somehow, it brought home a little bit more just how real these experiences were...
(E10) The war is over. What's left to say? A lot, actually. Just as Eugene Sledge was overwhelmed when he first got into the middle of the Pacific campaign, so was he completely out of sorts when he found himself back in Alabama. How do you take a boy and turn him into a man in the middle of bloodshed and carnage, and expect him to know what to do when he's back among civilized living?
Survivor's guilt, post-traumatic stress and learning how to be a civilian again were the facet of war explored this time around. We also got some familiar faces and names to go with all those veterans who've been sharing their stories in the opening moments of each chapter. One of them was Sledge's best friend, Sidney Phillips.
Somehow, it brought home a little bit more just how real these experiences were...
- 5/17/2010
- by Jason Hughes
- Aol TV.
It's quite a feat to stand out in an immense cast of talented young men in HBO's "The Pacific," but newcomer Rami Malek did just that as real-life Louisiana Pfc. Merriell "Snafu" Shelton. In the 10-part miniseries, which ends May 16, Malek steals the show with his authentic portrayal of a lost soldier faced with the brutality of war. Malek plays the kind of morally ambiguous soldier who looks after his fellow Marines as easily as he tosses pebbles into a corpse's hollowed head. It earned him major respect from his boss, executive producer Tom Hanks."I remember when I came home from 'The Pacific,' he gave me a hug and he said, 'I can't wait until I'm in a movie with you.' I was laughing and I was astonished, and when he said that, I was like, 'Yeah, we'll see if that ever happens,' " Malek says...
- 5/14/2010
- backstage.com
Sky Movies HD are currently airing the HBO TV mini-series, The Pacific every Monday night. If you’ve seen Band of Brothers but not seen anything from The Pacific yet, they’re you’re very much missing out. The Pacific looks at the Us Marines journey across The Pacific as they fight the Second World War against the Japanese. The series is based around two of the characters memoirs With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have produced this amazing series and every week I’m gripped as I watch the reality of war before my eyes.
Those lovely people at Sky Movies HD have sent us this new clip from tonight’s episode 7 entitled ”Never Lay Down When You Can Sleep’. I’ve been lucky enough to see this episode already and for me,...
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have produced this amazing series and every week I’m gripped as I watch the reality of war before my eyes.
Those lovely people at Sky Movies HD have sent us this new clip from tonight’s episode 7 entitled ”Never Lay Down When You Can Sleep’. I’ve been lucky enough to see this episode already and for me,...
- 5/10/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Filed under: Recaps
(E09) Another week, another entirely new examination of war. This time we got a double-shot as we examined the notion of the innocents caught in the middle of a battle they didn't necessarily ask for, as well as the hard toll that prolonged warfare can have on the soldier's soul.
We've watched Eugene Sledge go from a frustrated young man, eager to serve his country and rid the world of evil, to the man he was in this ninth hour. A man on the edge of a certain darkness. He could either fall over the edge and be perhaps forever lost, or claw his way back.
Those of us who've never been a part of war have no real appreciation or comprehension of just what it is to survive something like this. This week, 'The Pacific' gave us a pretty clear idea of where post-traumatic stress comes from in veterans.
(E09) Another week, another entirely new examination of war. This time we got a double-shot as we examined the notion of the innocents caught in the middle of a battle they didn't necessarily ask for, as well as the hard toll that prolonged warfare can have on the soldier's soul.
We've watched Eugene Sledge go from a frustrated young man, eager to serve his country and rid the world of evil, to the man he was in this ninth hour. A man on the edge of a certain darkness. He could either fall over the edge and be perhaps forever lost, or claw his way back.
Those of us who've never been a part of war have no real appreciation or comprehension of just what it is to survive something like this. This week, 'The Pacific' gave us a pretty clear idea of where post-traumatic stress comes from in veterans.
- 5/10/2010
- by Jason Hughes
- Aol TV.
(E07) "Fear and Filth" - written by Eugene Sledge while on Peleliu in description of his experience there
This week, I finally saw the value of the opening narrative with Tom Hanks interspersed with interviews with the World War II veterans. They're presented to offer background information for the events to come. Most of us have never seen anything like the war in the Pacific, so we wouldn't know about things like the intricate tunnels the Japanese used on Peleliu.
By having Hanks and the vets fill us in before the drama begins, they don't have to worry about unnecessary exposition within the episode to make sure we understand what's going on. That way, the writers can keep the dialogue as realistic as possible. After all, the men hardly knew what was going on when they first got there so I doubt they'd stop and explain in detail about how...
This week, I finally saw the value of the opening narrative with Tom Hanks interspersed with interviews with the World War II veterans. They're presented to offer background information for the events to come. Most of us have never seen anything like the war in the Pacific, so we wouldn't know about things like the intricate tunnels the Japanese used on Peleliu.
By having Hanks and the vets fill us in before the drama begins, they don't have to worry about unnecessary exposition within the episode to make sure we understand what's going on. That way, the writers can keep the dialogue as realistic as possible. After all, the men hardly knew what was going on when they first got there so I doubt they'd stop and explain in detail about how...
- 4/26/2010
- by Jason Hughes
- Aol TV.
The Pacific – Episode 4
Guest Review by Andrew James
Stars: James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello, Jon Seda, Joshua Biton, Brendan Fletcher | Directed by Graham Yost
Eugene Sledge is sent to Camp Elliott, California to train as part of a mortar unit, and it seems at this point he’s not a natural warrior. Meanwhile the 1st Marine Division are on the deck of a troop transport singing Christmas carols as they head towards their next protracted engagement, Cape Gloucester.
Leckie and the rest of the Marines soon find that on Cape Gloucester the enemy are not the Japanese, who they fight rarely and usually at night (like episode 1), but the jungle and the constant rain, and it’s not a surprise when Leckie ends up in a naval psychiatric hospital when his unit moves on to Pavuvu.
Episode 4 is very much like an episode of HBOs previous World War II show,...
Guest Review by Andrew James
Stars: James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello, Jon Seda, Joshua Biton, Brendan Fletcher | Directed by Graham Yost
Eugene Sledge is sent to Camp Elliott, California to train as part of a mortar unit, and it seems at this point he’s not a natural warrior. Meanwhile the 1st Marine Division are on the deck of a troop transport singing Christmas carols as they head towards their next protracted engagement, Cape Gloucester.
Leckie and the rest of the Marines soon find that on Cape Gloucester the enemy are not the Japanese, who they fight rarely and usually at night (like episode 1), but the jungle and the constant rain, and it’s not a surprise when Leckie ends up in a naval psychiatric hospital when his unit moves on to Pavuvu.
Episode 4 is very much like an episode of HBOs previous World War II show,...
- 4/21/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
As HBO viewers begin drinking in the second half of The Pacific this weekend, they'll see the story line of Marine Eugene B. Sledge really kick in — which means they'll be seeing a lot more of Joe Mazzello.
Just like co-star James Badge Dale, Mazzello made sure he read his character's memoir (1981's With the Old Breed) and met his widow and children.
James Badge Dale: If The Pacific doesn't make him a star, there's always...
Read More >...
Just like co-star James Badge Dale, Mazzello made sure he read his character's memoir (1981's With the Old Breed) and met his widow and children.
James Badge Dale: If The Pacific doesn't make him a star, there's always...
Read More >...
- 4/17/2010
- by Douglas J. Rowe
- TVGuide - Breaking News
This is the fifth in a multi-part series examining the origins and progress of HBO's original miniseries The Pacific. Full critical analysis will be reserved until the series has completed its run.
After the First Marine Division was pulled from New Britain in 1944, most of the Marines expected to be sent back to Australia for another extended break from fighting. The jungle warfare in New Britain had exacted a horrific toll in the form of casualties, dysentery, fever illnesses, and mental and physical combat fatigue, and conditions did not improve a great deal at their next stop, Pavuvu. After securing the island of Pavuvu, however, the First Marines made that island their rest and refitting stop. Several months later, the Marines were directed to their next combat destination, Peleliu, at which they were to take an airfield to extend the Allies' military power closer to the Philippines and, ultimately, Japan.
After the First Marine Division was pulled from New Britain in 1944, most of the Marines expected to be sent back to Australia for another extended break from fighting. The jungle warfare in New Britain had exacted a horrific toll in the form of casualties, dysentery, fever illnesses, and mental and physical combat fatigue, and conditions did not improve a great deal at their next stop, Pavuvu. After securing the island of Pavuvu, however, the First Marines made that island their rest and refitting stop. Several months later, the Marines were directed to their next combat destination, Peleliu, at which they were to take an airfield to extend the Allies' military power closer to the Philippines and, ultimately, Japan.
- 4/15/2010
- by Ted Boynton
(E05) Another week and another wholly different experience in the Pacific front of World War II. Whereas Guadalcanal was an island oasis, and eerily quiet when the 1st Marines landed, the island of Peleliu was a far different story. From an ocean of cannon-fire and ships to a sea of the dead, dying and injured on the beach, it was warfare from the word "Go!"
Eugene Sledge finally made it into the war, joining Leckie and company in the 1st Marines Division. He hooked up with them on the island of Pavuvu, where we left them last week. Leckie returned as well from his stay at the hospital, and they got to enjoy some wartime camaraderie before shipping out.
Sledge even got some time with his friend from back home, Sid Phillips. The care in which the producers of 'The Pacific' have given to each of these very...
Eugene Sledge finally made it into the war, joining Leckie and company in the 1st Marines Division. He hooked up with them on the island of Pavuvu, where we left them last week. Leckie returned as well from his stay at the hospital, and they got to enjoy some wartime camaraderie before shipping out.
Sledge even got some time with his friend from back home, Sid Phillips. The care in which the producers of 'The Pacific' have given to each of these very...
- 4/12/2010
- by Jason Hughes
- Aol TV.
At the end of February, at a hotel in Beverly Hills, HitFix caught up with Bruce C. McKenna, showrunner on HBO's "The Pacific," series stars Jon Seda, James Badge Dale and Joe Mazzello, plus legendary military technical advisor Capt. Dale Dye. We ran four of those interviews in the first two weeks of the "Pacific" run, but I held off on Mazzello because his character, Eugene B. Sledge, spent those early episodes Stateside with a heart condition. On Sunday (April 11), Sledge finally joins the war and, not to get spoiler-y on you, he wastes no time becoming the...
- 4/10/2010
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
This is the fourth in a multi-part series examining the origins and progress of HBO's original miniseries The Pacific. Full critical analysis will be reserved until the series has completed its run. Please note that minor spoilers are included below.
Ten months after the First Marine Division arrived in Melbourne, Australia to thunderous, grateful applause, the same Marines shipped out with a return ticket to their jungle nightmares, this time headed to an island called New Britain. As they celebrated Christmas on their naval transports, the First Marines' military objective was relatively straightforward: the capture of two airfields and a Japanese military base on the western end of the island. Far more formidable than the gritty Japanese resistance was the island itself, and the Marines experienced a type of jungle warfare that made Guadalcanal look like a city park. A near-continuous downpour perpetually kept men miserable, wet and rotting and...
Ten months after the First Marine Division arrived in Melbourne, Australia to thunderous, grateful applause, the same Marines shipped out with a return ticket to their jungle nightmares, this time headed to an island called New Britain. As they celebrated Christmas on their naval transports, the First Marines' military objective was relatively straightforward: the capture of two airfields and a Japanese military base on the western end of the island. Far more formidable than the gritty Japanese resistance was the island itself, and the Marines experienced a type of jungle warfare that made Guadalcanal look like a city park. A near-continuous downpour perpetually kept men miserable, wet and rotting and...
- 4/7/2010
- by Ted Boynton
We’ve been lucky enough to see the first two episodes of The Pacific and tonight on Sky Movies HD, you can too!
Like Band Of Brothers, The Pacific follows the fortunes of individual soldiers as they battle their way through World War II. Joseph Mazzello – no longer the kid from Jurassic Park – leads the cast as Eugene B. Sledge, one of three marines whose stories intertwine against the backdrop of the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Sky have put a few teaser clips on their website along with some images from the new series. I’ve embedded the new images below but head over to Sky’s website to view the clips. The image below taken from the air is both beautiful and harrowing, just like band of Brothers was as a series. We have the trailer for the series which you can see here.
So, who’s looking forward to this one then?...
Like Band Of Brothers, The Pacific follows the fortunes of individual soldiers as they battle their way through World War II. Joseph Mazzello – no longer the kid from Jurassic Park – leads the cast as Eugene B. Sledge, one of three marines whose stories intertwine against the backdrop of the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Sky have put a few teaser clips on their website along with some images from the new series. I’ve embedded the new images below but head over to Sky’s website to view the clips. The image below taken from the air is both beautiful and harrowing, just like band of Brothers was as a series. We have the trailer for the series which you can see here.
So, who’s looking forward to this one then?...
- 4/5/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
(E04) While we were celebrating Easter, the boys in 'The Pacific' were ringing in Christmas and 1944 in somewhat less than optimal conditions. We got a brief glimpse of Eugene Sledge, finally in the marines and screwing up in training. But his story is yet to come.
With Basilone off selling war bonds and banging bar blondes, and Sledge learning the difference between "Bob" and "Tojo," it was Robert Leckie and the 1st Marines tours of duty that took center stage. And through these venues, and this Division, the writers and producers were able to showcase the psychological toll that war can have on battle-beaten soldiers.
Leckie was pretty strained already going into their tour on Gloucester, after his disastrous love affair on Melbourne. He was also on the outs with Lt. Larkin, which certainly didn't help matters on the ground.
Continue reading 'The Pacific' - 'Gloucester...
With Basilone off selling war bonds and banging bar blondes, and Sledge learning the difference between "Bob" and "Tojo," it was Robert Leckie and the 1st Marines tours of duty that took center stage. And through these venues, and this Division, the writers and producers were able to showcase the psychological toll that war can have on battle-beaten soldiers.
Leckie was pretty strained already going into their tour on Gloucester, after his disastrous love affair on Melbourne. He was also on the outs with Lt. Larkin, which certainly didn't help matters on the ground.
Continue reading 'The Pacific' - 'Gloucester...
- 4/5/2010
- by Jason Hughes
- Aol TV.
In 2001 a ten part HBO miniseries event instilled in millions a renewed respect for and awareness of the extraordinary sacrifices made by a generation of men little more than half a century before. That series was Band of Brothers, the compelling story of parachute infantry unit Easy Company and their role in the European front of WWII. The award-winning show, and its big screen predecessor Saving Private Ryan, reinvigorated stories, now more familiar from text books and exam papers, by breathing life into the history and giving names to the heroes who lived and died through it.
But the Second World War was fought on two fronts, and the second – The Pacific – is one we are less familiar with. Now, nearly ten years after the success of Band of Brothers, executive producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman intend to set that right. Their brand new miniseries The Pacific...
But the Second World War was fought on two fronts, and the second – The Pacific – is one we are less familiar with. Now, nearly ten years after the success of Band of Brothers, executive producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman intend to set that right. Their brand new miniseries The Pacific...
- 4/5/2010
- by Emily Breen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sky Movies HD have released a new trailer for The Pacific, the follow-up to the awesome mini series, Band of Brothers. It’s not so much a sequel but has the same driving force in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg behind it. It’s on tonight so don’t miss out!
The series has been filmed completely in high definition and cost around $200 million which is nearly double what Band of Brothers was estimated. The Pacific focuses around three main characters, Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda).
There’s no exact release date as yet but we know it’s going to be around Easter. We were lucky enough to go and see the first two episodes and you will Not be disappointed. Check out the trailer below or head over to a previous post where we have some great photos from the series.
The series has been filmed completely in high definition and cost around $200 million which is nearly double what Band of Brothers was estimated. The Pacific focuses around three main characters, Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (Jon Seda).
There’s no exact release date as yet but we know it’s going to be around Easter. We were lucky enough to go and see the first two episodes and you will Not be disappointed. Check out the trailer below or head over to a previous post where we have some great photos from the series.
- 4/5/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Pacific is the latest blockbuster mini series from HBO and executive producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, the creative team behind the Emmy-winning 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. The show is set to premiere in the UK tomorrow at 9pm on Sky Movies Premiere HD, and in celebration of its debut we have interviews with the three leading cast members: James Badge Dale, Jon Seda, and Joe Mazzello. Our final interview is with actor Jow Mazzello, who you may remember as the little kid in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park…
Mazzello’s most notable role was as Tim Murphy in the 1993 film Jurassic Park and it’s sequel, he also starred in Star Kid and Simon Birch before putting his career on hold to go back to school, graduating from the University of Southern California in 2005. The Pacific, in which he portrays Eugene B. Sledge (whose book...
Mazzello’s most notable role was as Tim Murphy in the 1993 film Jurassic Park and it’s sequel, he also starred in Star Kid and Simon Birch before putting his career on hold to go back to school, graduating from the University of Southern California in 2005. The Pacific, in which he portrays Eugene B. Sledge (whose book...
- 4/4/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
After years of ambiguous anti-war movies, HBO's TV epic gives audiences a familiar, clear-cut bad guy
When the first episode of Band Of Brothers, HBO's 10-part saga of a parachute infantry company's progress from D-Day to the German surrender and beyond, was broadcast on American television on 9 September, 2001, the United States had not participated in a full-scale, open-ended shooting war for 25 years, since the withdrawal from Vietnam. Episode two aired five days after the 9/11 attacks, and one suspects many Americans watched its depiction of the D-Day landings with a far greater sense of involvement and gravity than they otherwise might have.
The Pacific, made for HBO by the same team of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, airs by contrast at a time when America is deeply involved in two distinct and socially divisive wars.
Band Of Brothers had an idealistic, uplifting side along with all the violence and bloodshed. In...
When the first episode of Band Of Brothers, HBO's 10-part saga of a parachute infantry company's progress from D-Day to the German surrender and beyond, was broadcast on American television on 9 September, 2001, the United States had not participated in a full-scale, open-ended shooting war for 25 years, since the withdrawal from Vietnam. Episode two aired five days after the 9/11 attacks, and one suspects many Americans watched its depiction of the D-Day landings with a far greater sense of involvement and gravity than they otherwise might have.
The Pacific, made for HBO by the same team of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, airs by contrast at a time when America is deeply involved in two distinct and socially divisive wars.
Band Of Brothers had an idealistic, uplifting side along with all the violence and bloodshed. In...
- 4/3/2010
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
1. Hello Bruce, when writing for The Pacific, you have great source material in the books and well documented life stories to work from. But much of the actual day to day words and thoughts of the characters come directly from your pen. How much influence does casting play in the writing of the characters? Do you rewrite scenes which seemed to work on paper but you realise wouldn't work so well with the actor playing the role? Does the particular character or physical traits of the actor influence your writing as the series is shot? Thanks :) -SimpleSimon, MakingOf Forums
Hey SimpleSimon. Yeah, the actors really influence the writing, once they have absorbed the characters. Not so much at the beginning of the show, but as we progressed, they had a lot of input into dialogue. You have to trust that they understand the men they are portraying. Quite often...
Hey SimpleSimon. Yeah, the actors really influence the writing, once they have absorbed the characters. Not so much at the beginning of the show, but as we progressed, they had a lot of input into dialogue. You have to trust that they understand the men they are portraying. Quite often...
- 3/25/2010
- Makingof.com
The Pacific – Episodes 1 And 2
Guest Review by Andrew James
Stars: James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello, Jon Seda, Joshua Biton, Brendan Fletcher | Directed by Timothy Van Patten & David Nutter
The Pacific is the eagerly anticipated HBO World War II drama by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. If that sounds a bit familiar it’s because HBO, Hanks and Spielberg were also the team behind Band of Brothers, which The Pacific is kind of a successor to.
Whilst many comparisons will be made between the two shows, The Pacific is closer in theme to Vietnam based TV shows such as Tour of Duty. Where Band of Brothers was concerned with Europe’s last great ground war, which was recognisable to western troops at the time, the Marines in Pacific are fighting in strange, alien landscapes, in unfamiliar and unknown locations with hard to pronounce names.
“We’ve been swallowed by the jungle...
Guest Review by Andrew James
Stars: James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello, Jon Seda, Joshua Biton, Brendan Fletcher | Directed by Timothy Van Patten & David Nutter
The Pacific is the eagerly anticipated HBO World War II drama by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. If that sounds a bit familiar it’s because HBO, Hanks and Spielberg were also the team behind Band of Brothers, which The Pacific is kind of a successor to.
Whilst many comparisons will be made between the two shows, The Pacific is closer in theme to Vietnam based TV shows such as Tour of Duty. Where Band of Brothers was concerned with Europe’s last great ground war, which was recognisable to western troops at the time, the Marines in Pacific are fighting in strange, alien landscapes, in unfamiliar and unknown locations with hard to pronounce names.
“We’ve been swallowed by the jungle...
- 3/24/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Feel free to throw large, smelly tomatoes at me for not being aware of this until a few days ago, but I'm writing this because I'm pretty sure there are a few of you out there who are also unaware and might like to know this groovy little tidbit. One of the more fascinating aspects of HBO's new miniseries The Pacific is that executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks cast 26-year-old Joseph Mazzello in one of the lead parts as WWII soldier Eugene Sledge. Mazzello, for those not immediately familiar with the name, was also cast by Spielberg in 1993's Jurassic Park, where he played the young, somewhat annoying (and inquisitive) Tim Murphy.
There's an interesting story here when it comes to Spielberg and Mazzello. Originally, Spielberg wanted Mazzello to play Jack in the 1991 film Hook, but the actor at that time was just too small. Convinced Mazzello possessed something special,...
There's an interesting story here when it comes to Spielberg and Mazzello. Originally, Spielberg wanted Mazzello to play Jack in the 1991 film Hook, but the actor at that time was just too small. Convinced Mazzello possessed something special,...
- 3/23/2010
- by Erik Davis
- Cinematical
This is the second in a multi-part series examining the origins and progress of HBO's original miniseries The Pacific. Full critical analysis will be reserved until the series has completed its run. Please note that minor spoilers are included below.
Following the initial defeat of the Allied naval force by the Japanese at the island of Guadalcanal, in the wake of the United States Marines' August 1942 amphibious landing there, the U.S. Navy retreated to open sea to avoid destruction. As a result, 11,000 U.S. Marines, including the First and Seventh Marine Divisions, were stranded on Guadalcanal without most of the food, medical supplies, ammunition, and equipment brought to help them hold the island. Although the Marines had successfully taken Guadalcanal and the critical Japanese airfield there, they soon faced a determined Japanese effort to re-take the island. Several large forces of Japanese infantry, supported by Japanese naval gunnery and air power,...
Following the initial defeat of the Allied naval force by the Japanese at the island of Guadalcanal, in the wake of the United States Marines' August 1942 amphibious landing there, the U.S. Navy retreated to open sea to avoid destruction. As a result, 11,000 U.S. Marines, including the First and Seventh Marine Divisions, were stranded on Guadalcanal without most of the food, medical supplies, ammunition, and equipment brought to help them hold the island. Although the Marines had successfully taken Guadalcanal and the critical Japanese airfield there, they soon faced a determined Japanese effort to re-take the island. Several large forces of Japanese infantry, supported by Japanese naval gunnery and air power,...
- 3/23/2010
- by Ted Boynton
The second chapter of the ten-part HBO mini-series The Pacific airs tonight, wrapping up its portrait of the grueling WWII campaign on the island of Guadalcanal. (Click here to read Ken Tucker's assessment of last week's first installment.) I spoke with exec producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks a few weeks ago about the $200 million production, including why you won't see any more naval battles, what helped to ring up the production's mammoth price tag, and what it was like when Spielberg reunited with the kid from Jurassic Park. Here are the highlights. EW: With Band of Brothers, you had...
- 3/21/2010
- by Adam B. Vary
- EW.com - PopWatch
The new HBO mini-series event The Pacific aired on the network his past Sunday and has been met with mixed reviews from critics. Expectations for The Pacific were set pretty high, with it being expected to be a great followup and companion piece to Band of Brothers, the World War II mini-series that HBO debuted back in 2001 to rave reviews from critics and fans. With only one episode aired so far this series certainly deserves a chance, and HBO is trying to give it just that, by offering the first episode up on its website for free viewing to the masses.
The Pacific, which is produced by the same crew that brought us Band of Brothers, including Tom Hanks and Steven Speilberg, is a bit different stylistically than Band of Brothers, which might be the reason for some of the unrest. Where Band of Brothers gritty and thick with substance,...
The Pacific, which is produced by the same crew that brought us Band of Brothers, including Tom Hanks and Steven Speilberg, is a bit different stylistically than Band of Brothers, which might be the reason for some of the unrest. Where Band of Brothers gritty and thick with substance,...
- 3/16/2010
- by Bryan Jones
- TVovermind.com
This is the first in a multi-part series examining the origins and progress of HBO's original miniseries The Pacific. Full critical analysis will be reserved until the series has completed its run. Please note that this recap includes minor spoilers.
One of the most ignorant assertions in all of artistic history is François Truffaut's claim that it is impossible to make an anti-war film because the medium inevitably glorifies combat as visually exciting. Whatever Truffaut's virtues, he politicized himself to the point of irrelevance with this statement, at least as to its subject matter, though it might be fair to say simply that he had no pertinent masters to admire. In the hands of a skilled artist, the true nature of war is readily brought home as a horror inspiring grim recognition in those familiar with it and grateful relief in those who have not. The foundation of Truffaut's...
One of the most ignorant assertions in all of artistic history is François Truffaut's claim that it is impossible to make an anti-war film because the medium inevitably glorifies combat as visually exciting. Whatever Truffaut's virtues, he politicized himself to the point of irrelevance with this statement, at least as to its subject matter, though it might be fair to say simply that he had no pertinent masters to admire. In the hands of a skilled artist, the true nature of war is readily brought home as a horror inspiring grim recognition in those familiar with it and grateful relief in those who have not. The foundation of Truffaut's...
- 3/16/2010
- by Ted Boynton
Chicago – I must admit to some trepidation about HBO’s WWII mini-series “The Pacific” from producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, debuting tonight, March 14th, 2010 at 8pm Cst. Why? Because “Band of Brothers” is the best mini-series of all time and it’s difficult for anyone to pitch a perfect game two starts in a row. I knew it would be good, but doubted it would be great. I was wrong. It’s spectacular.
TV Rating: 5.0/5.0
Far more than merely a shadow or duplication of “Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific” stands on its own for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the war in the Pacific arena of battle was much different than the European fight. There’s nothing in Europe that compares to the jungle of Guadalcanal, the main setting for the first hour of the ten-hour piece. There are hundreds of stories of the American soldier experience...
TV Rating: 5.0/5.0
Far more than merely a shadow or duplication of “Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific” stands on its own for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the war in the Pacific arena of battle was much different than the European fight. There’s nothing in Europe that compares to the jungle of Guadalcanal, the main setting for the first hour of the ten-hour piece. There are hundreds of stories of the American soldier experience...
- 3/14/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Like "Band of Brothers" nine years ago, HBO's World War II miniseries "The Pacific" is a massive achievement. And like its Europe-set predecessor, it's at its best when it focuses on the small things as a way of reflecting the huge story it's telling.
The 10-part miniseries, which premieres at 9 p.m. Et Sunday (March 14), follows U.S. Marines as they advance across the Pacific theater of World War II, beginning with the landing on Guadalcanal in 1942 and continuing until the war's end in 1945. It's told principally through the eyes of three enlisted men: John Basilone (Jon Seda), Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) and Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello), whose paths crossed during the campaign. The series is based in part on memoirs by Leckie ("Helmet for My Pillow") and Sledge ("With the Old Breed").
On the large scale, "The Pacific" does a frighteningly good job at depicting the brutal conditions not just in battle,...
The 10-part miniseries, which premieres at 9 p.m. Et Sunday (March 14), follows U.S. Marines as they advance across the Pacific theater of World War II, beginning with the landing on Guadalcanal in 1942 and continuing until the war's end in 1945. It's told principally through the eyes of three enlisted men: John Basilone (Jon Seda), Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) and Eugene Sledge (Joe Mazzello), whose paths crossed during the campaign. The series is based in part on memoirs by Leckie ("Helmet for My Pillow") and Sledge ("With the Old Breed").
On the large scale, "The Pacific" does a frighteningly good job at depicting the brutal conditions not just in battle,...
- 3/14/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
The stars of "The Pacific" had to endure a grueling boot camp before they started filming, then spent 10 months in brutal heat, rain and humidity while shooting the 10-part miniseries.
James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello and Jon Seda also had one extra burden: They all played real-life U.S. Marines who served in the Pacific theater of World War II. Memoirs by Robert Leckie (whom Dale plays) and Eugene Sledge (Mazzello) are part of the source material for "The Pacific," and John Basilone (Seda) was a Medal of Honor winner who became well-known back home.
"It's interesting. Actors, we sit around and create these characters -- most of them are fictional, and you have a lot of room to play," Dale tells Zap2it. "You concentrate on the story you're creating. But now you have this other element of, this is a real man who lived through extraordinary circumstances, and...
James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello and Jon Seda also had one extra burden: They all played real-life U.S. Marines who served in the Pacific theater of World War II. Memoirs by Robert Leckie (whom Dale plays) and Eugene Sledge (Mazzello) are part of the source material for "The Pacific," and John Basilone (Seda) was a Medal of Honor winner who became well-known back home.
"It's interesting. Actors, we sit around and create these characters -- most of them are fictional, and you have a lot of room to play," Dale tells Zap2it. "You concentrate on the story you're creating. But now you have this other element of, this is a real man who lived through extraordinary circumstances, and...
- 3/13/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Before the premiere of HBO's epic, $200-million World War II miniseries "The Pacific," I had the privledge to talk with screenwriter and co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna for MakingOf.com. McKenna, one of the main writers on "Band Of Brothers," was recruited by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman to help create the eagerly-awaited follow up. "The Pacific" tracks the intertwined real life story of three U.S. Marines across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. In part one of our exclusive interview, McKenna describes his high profile collaborators as being "extremely emotionally invested in the story." The time the Marines spent in the Pacific Theater was long and more intense and emotional than one could imagine. Spielberg wanted the seven year production to be a personal, intense journey as well. He told his collaborators "No blinking - I want to see the moral...
- 3/11/2010
- Makingof.com
When you first meet Joe Mazzello's character, Eugene Sledge, in "The Pacific," he's "18 going on 15."
"You first see him on a bicycle," Mazzello tells Zap2it in the video below. "He's just a kid."
That doesn't last long, however. Sledge -- a real-life U.S. Marine whose memoir "With the Old Breed" is part of the basis for HBO's epic miniseries -- and his fellow Marines faced some of the worst fighting in the Pacific theater of World War II, and it changed him.
It was Mazzello's job to show the effect all that fighting -- along with the miserable conditions soldiers had to endure -- had on Sledge, and the transformative effect it had on the man.
"He was a great Marine -- he was ready," Mazzello says. "But no matter how many books you read or how much boot camp you do, it's different when you get into it.
"You first see him on a bicycle," Mazzello tells Zap2it in the video below. "He's just a kid."
That doesn't last long, however. Sledge -- a real-life U.S. Marine whose memoir "With the Old Breed" is part of the basis for HBO's epic miniseries -- and his fellow Marines faced some of the worst fighting in the Pacific theater of World War II, and it changed him.
It was Mazzello's job to show the effect all that fighting -- along with the miserable conditions soldiers had to endure -- had on Sledge, and the transformative effect it had on the man.
"He was a great Marine -- he was ready," Mazzello says. "But no matter how many books you read or how much boot camp you do, it's different when you get into it.
- 3/11/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
The Pacific is the latest blockbuster mini series from HBO and executive producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, the creative team behind the Emmy-winning 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. The production of the 10-episode series has cost an estimated $200 million and has been shot entirely in High Definition, giving the show the look and feel of a major Hollywood theatrical release with the ongoing narrative of a serial drama. From the official press release:
On 8th December 1941, just over 24 hours after the Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbour, Congress issued a formal declaration of war against the Empire of Japan. For a decade, tensions had been mounting between Japan and the Us, as the Japanese expanded their conquest of a large region including much of China and Southeast Asia. As a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the United States officially entered World War II,...
On 8th December 1941, just over 24 hours after the Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbour, Congress issued a formal declaration of war against the Empire of Japan. For a decade, tensions had been mounting between Japan and the Us, as the Japanese expanded their conquest of a large region including much of China and Southeast Asia. As a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the United States officially entered World War II,...
- 3/4/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
The new 10-part mini-series "The Pacific" premieres Sunday, March 14th on HBO, from Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, the producing team behind the Emmy Award/Golden Globe-winning 2001 HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers".
"The Pacific" tracks the intertwined real-life journeys of three Us Marines across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. The miniseries follows these men and their fellow Marines from their first battle with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, through the rain forests of Cape Gloucester and the strongholds of Peleliu, across the bloody sands of Iwo Jima, through the horror of Okinawa and finally to their triumphant but uneasy return home after V-j Day.
Filming of the $150 million budgeted series started August 2007 in Australia, wrapping May 2008. Locations included Port Douglas and Mossman, Queensland, Mowbray Valley at Drumsara, Rocky Point beaches, Central City Studios at Melbourne Docklands and the Railway Hotel, Scotch College and Mornington Railway in Melbourne.
"The Pacific" tracks the intertwined real-life journeys of three Us Marines across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. The miniseries follows these men and their fellow Marines from their first battle with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, through the rain forests of Cape Gloucester and the strongholds of Peleliu, across the bloody sands of Iwo Jima, through the horror of Okinawa and finally to their triumphant but uneasy return home after V-j Day.
Filming of the $150 million budgeted series started August 2007 in Australia, wrapping May 2008. Locations included Port Douglas and Mossman, Queensland, Mowbray Valley at Drumsara, Rocky Point beaches, Central City Studios at Melbourne Docklands and the Railway Hotel, Scotch College and Mornington Railway in Melbourne.
- 2/28/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and other big names in Hollywood have attended the premiere of HBO's miniseries "The Pacific" which was held on the Grauman's Chinese Theater on Wednesday, February 24. Spielberg and Hanks who act as the miniseries' producers were accompanied at the red carpet by Captain Dale Dye who works as a unit director shooting the Marines' major battles.
James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello and Jon Seda, the actors playing the three main characters, posed together for the waiting photographers. There were also actors who play secondary characters such as Ben Esler, Matthew Dale and Dwight Braswell.
The celebration also saw familiar faces from "True Blood" which is also produced by HBO. Stephen Moyer arrived sans girlfriend and co-star Anna Paquin but was accompanied by Michelle Forbes on the red carpet. Ryan Kwanten, Alexander Skarsgard and Deborah Ann Woll also showed their support.
HBO will premiere the 10-part miniseries...
James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello and Jon Seda, the actors playing the three main characters, posed together for the waiting photographers. There were also actors who play secondary characters such as Ben Esler, Matthew Dale and Dwight Braswell.
The celebration also saw familiar faces from "True Blood" which is also produced by HBO. Stephen Moyer arrived sans girlfriend and co-star Anna Paquin but was accompanied by Michelle Forbes on the red carpet. Ryan Kwanten, Alexander Skarsgard and Deborah Ann Woll also showed their support.
HBO will premiere the 10-part miniseries...
- 2/26/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
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