Ok I have to ask who saw Red Tails

[Dan K]

I, also, am attempting to stay away from this thread. But...

Just had to share the following link. The film critic's last comment is what stuck in my tired, old brain:

"The Tuskegee Airmen deserve a better film than Red Tails, and so do you"

http://www.nbcmiami.com/blogs/popcornbi ... 10183.html

[Zachary]

... my tired, old brain...

Only 181 days or so until AirVenture and a tad more until Bikini Nights Dan. That'll invigorate your soul and recharge your batteries!

[Flyin Illini]

Being a 25 yr old aviation buff, I've learned never to expect true events in any aviation movie I've seen. It's all about Hollywood. I took my wife and her dad(who is a army vet). They both loved it, it was action packed. I watched it for what it was. Inspired by true events. It can't be fun going and seeing aviation movies and nitpicking each wrong thing. Flyboys was the same way. Hero vs enemy with love story and my generation loved it as well. This movie showed courage heart and the will to never stop fighting that all the red tails had. Non aviation buffs who saw this movie walked out loving and they learned a little something about the hardships the tuskeegee went through.

[Nathan]

I, also, am attempting to stay away from this thread. But...

Just had to share the following link. The film critic's last comment is what stuck in my tired, old brain:

"The Tuskegee Airmen deserve a better film than Red Tails, and so do you"

http://www.nbcmiami.com/blogs/popcornbi ... 10183.html

I look forward to seeing the movie. But after all the media press this movie is getting it does kind of feel like a PC aganda and not for historical thought. Just my IMHO.

[rcaf_100]

Since CHAA's President (and Tuskegee Airman aficionado) Bill Shepard is currently getting checked out on the CAF's Red Tail Mustang, I went with Bill and 40-50 other CHAA members to see it on Saturday night.
We all enjoyed it despite the little inaccuracies and had a great social evening.

[mustangdriver]

Well, look on the bright side. It beats Thunder Over Reno.

[CoastieJohn]

Here is the quote from the website. It states "From Sicily and the mainland of Italy, they went to southern France and knocked out the German radar stations that supported the Normandy beaches. Without the success of this, there would not have been a D-Day."

What don't you understand about what it states on the site? It is as much of an exageration as the 'no bombers lost'.

After looking at the NBCC story, it seems to me you're combining both paragraphs to make one point. By doing that, you maybe discounting their activity in Sicily and Italy (the first paragraph).

I was looking at each paragraph on it's own merits.

1. The first paragraph discusses their activity in Sicily and Italy. Does that have historical merit?

2. The second paragraph you listed discusses their follow-on activity that supported "the Normandy beaches". Does that have historical merit?

See where I'm going?


Somewhat surprised by the response you received from NBCC below. Might want to talk to their sponsors or Board.

By the way, I contacted the NBBCC and asked them where they received their information about the Tuskegee Airmen saving Normandy and they replied back calling me a 'German' and that I must still be mad about the war and to get over it you 'German'.

What a racist site!

On a GREAT NOTE!
My 7 year old son absolutely loved the movie. So if this is the 'targeted' audience, then Lucas nailed it. My son now wants to get back into building more models and wants a redtail P-51.

[Fearless Tower]

Sorry if I missed it, but did anyone get a good look at the color of the wheel wells???

[Obergrafeter]

Any Invasion Stripes?

[Django]

Has anyone seen any toys or movie merchandise yet? Nothing comes up on the Toys R Us website. That seemed like the most logical place to look first pass...

[phil65]

Went to see it Saturday nite. My girlfriend asked how full the theater was; they said it was less than 5% full, so I guess were the only ones seeing it.

The only part I couldn’t stomach was the P-51 flying in formation with the B-17 on there way to target.

From Craig59 “And puhleeeze, Mr. Lucas. Really? Was it really necessary to steal a scene shot-for-shot from "The Great Escape?"
Ya that was sad and so was the B-17’s wings falling off.

Phil
Watching the Patriots was better!

[Jarink1]

Any Invasion Stripes?

Only some painted-over ones on a Gooney Bird.

Just got back from seeing the Red Tails movie with my 11-year old son. It wasn't too bad, but you could certainly tell Lucas was involved. So-so acting, '40s style story lines and tons of special effects clutter. Even my son noticed a lot of the technical faults ("why did every plane lose a wing?"), but I'm OK with giving most of them a pass. I was more concerned with the horribly stereotypical characters (the troubled leader, the hotshot, the religious man, the rookie, the evil Hun, etc.) in a movie that is supposed to show us how these men broke overcame a stereotype.

Not too bad as a pure 'popcorn' movie, but I have to think it was a missed opportunity for a classic war movie.

[tom d. friedman]

haven't seen the movie, it bugs me that such a crap storm has to ensue as to content, or script, or directing style, that is all under scrutinizing with the magnifying glass. no military buff can claim to be a purist, A+ 1 authority. ok majority rules.......... the movie blows to the majority, don't mess w/ the minority, & press on. there are alot of tender opinions to military history going back hundreds of years, & they will continue, & continue to grow.

[p51]

I saw it yesterday afternoon. It's pretty much a comic book brought to life.
The good: The sets were incredible. The uniforms and equipment very well done, maybe the best ever done for a WW2 aviation film since the war. All the effects were very well done and most of the CGI airplanes actually moved like real airplanes. The main actors were very good, too.
The not-so-good: Just a shame that the plot read like a comic book. The Germans were so over-the-top evil, people were giggling in the theater every time a German said anything. I truly expected one to pull out the classic, "Zis vill make you talk" needle set! And for the guy who invented surround sound for movies, there sound was deeply unimpressive in regard to the sounds of airplanes and weapons! There is a scene at the start of the movie where I swear they used Star Wars sound effects for a .50 caliber machine gun! And naturally, every German airplane sounds like a diving Stuka in normal flight.
All in all, it was very well-crafted TV movie. If you go to it realizing that, you should enjoy it. I did like the movie (and will surely buy it on DVD when it comes out), but I agree with that reviewer noted earlier that the veterans deserve SO much better than this.

[Jesse C.]

Has anyone seen any toys or movie merchandise yet? Nothing comes up on the Toys R Us website. That seemed like the most logical place to look first pass...

I don't know how serious you are about this, but, Tamiya Models is going to be doing a Tuskegee bird with their new 1/32nd scale Mustang.