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Red Tails - how bad is it?


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Is the Red Tails movie really as bad as many critics are saying it is? If so, it is very disappointing as I have been looking forward to it. From what I've read so far, I think I'll give it a miss. :dontknow:

Edited by wdw
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I've only seen the trailer for it but just as I thought the CGI flying scenes are over the top and cartoonish. This sort of stuff really disappoints me. I want flying scenes to look as natural as if real planes were being used. But too many movies today just go over the top in stunt scenes, fight scenes and in movies with flying action the flying scenes using CGI. :(

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I don't get it. This was never billed as a film devoted to the pleasure of airplane geeks. It was (presumably) designed to tell the far too often overlooked story of the Tuskegee Airmen and their contribution to the war effort and the effort to achieve equality for African Americans. Was anyone really expecting a 100% authentic, 100% technically accurate film here? If so, you had your sights set WAY too high from the get-go.

Is it going to get the Oscar for best picture? Probably not. I haven't seen it, but I plan to, simply to appreciate what it was intended to portray. If it turns out to be as bad as "Pearl Harbor" (God help us all), I'll be disappointed. If not, I'll be pleased.

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It's a Hollywood movie. Right there, you have to know it's designed to fill seats, period. Accuracy is not exactly needed for that.

Even "Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong", which Peter Jackson worked on to be accurate (if possible from fictional subjects) still didn't completely please the fans of the originals. LOTR wasn't long enough, and Kong was too long. You can't win for losing if you're a film director. Or a model manufacturer.

The movie "Memphis Belle" wasn't exactly historically correct, and the Messerschmidts in BOB were the wrong type completely, but those are still considered "realistic" films by some. I was completely put off by the trailer for "Memphis Belle" on TV, the model work looked really bad. Yet, in the theatre, it was perfectly fine. Go figure.

But in the end, it's your 10-12-14-16 bucks, spend it how you see fit. Myself, it's going into Tamiya paint stocks. :)

Alvis 3.1

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im definitely going to see this one but not tonight as the GF says she wants a romantic night. and somehow she said going to the movies to watch an airplane related film does not qualify :bandhead2:

ill go next tuesday

Edited by Neo
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I agree with Jennings, we were never intended as the target audience. I hope it raises interest in and awareness of the subject, and puts the struggles of just 70 years ago in front of a young audience.

That being said, I think from what I've heard from reviewers I respect, the movie is a missed opportunity. It is basically Lucas indulging himself in an action film which doesn't really develop the Tuskeegee story, of the fight to participate in the war, and the irony of fighting a war on two fronts as it were. It is basically a comic action film based on true events. It could have been so much more and dealt intelligently with the myths and the reality. But this is Lucas and that is not what he is good at.

But on a more selfish note...it's two hours of Mustangs on a huge Cineplex screen with digital sound! I'll probably see it a couple of times.

Richard

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It's a movie, you know, for entertainment......

Compared to the last movie I got subjected to by the misses, this is one I'm looking forward to.

The following review sort of sums it up. It's supposed to be like an older style war movie. Sounds right up my alley.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/movies/red-tails-george-lucass-tale-of-tuskegee-airmen-review.html?src=dayp

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I don't get it. This was never billed as a film devoted to the pleasure of airplane geeks. It was (presumably) designed to tell the far too often overlooked story of the Tuskegee Airmen and their contribution to the war effort and the effort to achieve equality for African Americans. Was anyone really expecting a 100% authentic, 100% technically accurate film here? If so, you had your sights set WAY too high from the get-go.

Is it going to get the Oscar for best picture? Probably not. I haven't seen it, but I plan to, simply to appreciate what it was intended to portray. If it turns out to be as bad as "Pearl Harbor" (God help us all), I'll be disappointed. If not, I'll be pleased.

My sentiments exactly. I will say that the Drew Brees-like 'to the last bullet' rah-rah bit seems a bit of an artificiality, meant to pander to the 'man in the street' who thinks that's actually what we do before a combat hop (wait, was I SUPPOSED to have been doing that all these years??), but overall I'm glad the story is getting some overdue attention.

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I'm in Ottawa next week for 3 nights with nothing to do...I'll go check it out!

Better than anything with Vin Diesel in it I guess...even if I'm pretty certain that strafing a BB with .50 cals isnt going to blow upup a ship, i'll pretend that the ship is hit by a bomb at the same time as the guy lets loose with a burst from his HMGs...

Edited by frankycee
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IMHO I think of it more of an opportunity missed, like Pearl Harbor. There is a GREAT story there with the Tuskegee airmen. From what I can gather instead of going for the real serious story and being honest to the events, he went for a combination action movie/hero comic book story. Which is fine in itself, but if that's what you want to make in a movie, then why pick a really historically significant story and do it apparent injustice? (I say apparent because I haven't seen it yet)I think too many are relying on technology to make the movie and forgetting that story is what makes a great film. IF you put story first, believability second and THEN popcorn stuffing action peppered in here and there, then that's a movie I'd be excited about, AND it would tell the story for ages to come.

So for me it's not so much I don't think he should have made the film. I'm glad there is another aviation movie out there. I'm happy about his admirable goal of appealing to an urban youth and inspire them. BUT I doubt this story will ever be done with a serious take on it for a very very long time now. I mean who would want to re-make Pearl Harbor now right? Same with this.

Bill

Edited by niart17
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Well I just got back from seeing the movie. I enjoyed it, wont say I loved it but I did enjoy it. Some times it sucks having knowledge of the real aircraft. I'm looking past the fact that all the mustangs parked on the ground had blunt tipped, uncuffed hamilton standard props and the german planes had alot of yellow noses, especially for the theatre the movie is set in. Or even the fact that most of the aircrew in the B-17's (opening part of the movie) are not wearing their oxygen masks.

Look, honestly, there are alot of little things guys like some of us here will notice that are wrong. But if you let yourself get past all of that you should enjoy the movie. I can deffinetly see what JasonW said about it's supposed to be an old style war movie, you can hear that in some of the dialog.

I'm kinda mixed about this movie, I liked it dont get me wrong, but I did leave there feeling a bit disapointed in it. Red Tails reminded me alot of Tuskegee airmen, see the movie and you'll see what I mean.

One last thing I'll add. And Ive said this before about people bashing memphis belle for all it's inaccuracies. If gets people like my 9 and 5 year old boys interested in the history of the planes and the men who flew them, then it's a damn good movie as far as I'm concerned.

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My sentiments exactly. I will say that the Drew Brees-like 'to the last bullet' rah-rah bit seems a bit of an artificiality, meant to pander to the 'man in the street' who thinks that's actually what we do before a combat hop (wait, was I SUPPOSED to have been doing that all these years??), but overall I'm glad the story is getting some overdue attention.

BoB, Tora Tora Tora and even Midway were to name but three quite entertaining yet not so over the top and cartoonish movies. Not just in special effects but in the script and how the acting was not plasticky and shallow. Why do all too many movies, not just war or aviation ones have to be so damn phony baloney and over the top in such things today? Dirty Harry movies were all quite thrilling but had interesting characters and scripts, enough credible action to keep the viewer watching but still believable to a credible point.

Hollywood has lost its way in most movie making for a generation now... That is too bad as the home environment and not just the commercial movie theatres allow watchers to really get into movies today. Acting too is definitely on the downhill slide in most movies today. :(

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One last thing I'll add. And Ive said this before about people bashing memphis belle for all it's inaccuracies. If gets people like my 9 and 5 year old boys interested in the history of the planes and the men who flew them, then it's a damn good movie as far as I'm concerned.

Ditto. :clap2:

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Can someone at least reassure me that they don't portray the pilots as a bunch of hiphop gangstas? The trailers show just enough to suggest that they went there, but I'm hoping George Lucas still has enough integrity that he didn't let it get that far off.

I can live with CGI and I want to like this movie. Other than the Steven Speilberg / Tom Hanks colaborations (mostly on HBO), Hollywood doesn't have a good track record with historical movies.

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Can someone at least reassure me that they don't portray the pilots as a bunch of hiphop gangstas? The trailers show just enough to suggest that they went there, but I'm hoping George Lucas still has enough integrity that he didn't let it get that far off.

I would say no, they didnt look like gangstas to me. Just a bunch of guys in the military, similar to any other movie like this.

I liked the flying sequences for the most part, however some of the battle damage you'll see were very highly overexaggerated! Comparing some of the damage the B-17's take to what I know I've seen in pics of real B-17's in combat, the movie was way off, they looked paper airplanes getting shotdown. And the oxygen mask thing bothered me. Still liked the movie. The best way to descrive this movie, Tuskeegee airmem II

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Because CGI wasn't around then.

They did use quite a bit analogue film effects especially in BoB but the point is the stories were better written, the acting was generally stronger the filming/camera work was worlds better. Finally there was no need for plasticky, shallow, over blown hype and effects.

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