Catch-22 - Hulu, George Clooney, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie (May 17)

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Hell yes, I'm in.

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Based on the acclaimed Joseph Heller novel, Catch-22 follows the adventures and misadventures of a US air squadron in Italy in World War II. Catch-22 premieres May 17.

 Christopher Abbott is Yossarian, a bombardier, whose frantic obsession every time he goes up on a mission is “to come down alive”. His odds of success at such a simple aim keep getting worse, because Colonel Cathcart (Kyle Chandler) keeps raising the number of missions the men have to fly. More than the retreating Germans, the real enemy for Yossarian and his rag-tag bunch of friends is the bureaucracy of the military, inverting logic at every turn. The pinnacle of this is Catch-22, a military by-law which states that if you fly your missions, you’re crazy, and don’t have to fly them; all you have to do is ask. But if you as not to, then you’re sane, and so you have to fly them. George Clooney stars as the barking mad, parade-obsessed Scheisskopf. Hugh Laurie is the mellow, slightly checked-out Major de Coverley. Clooney directs the six-episode series, along with Grant Heslov and Ellen Kuras.

 

 

 

[Longhorn Al 440]

My favorite novel. Might give this a try.

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Looks impressive.  They actually filmed it in Italy.  Clooney is directing a couple of the episodes.  

[Go Pokes 979]

5 hours ago, Longhorn Al said:

My favorite novel. Might give this a try.

Me too, but that preview doesn't have me feeling optimistic.  It might be really good, but I'm not sure it's possible to capture the magic of the novel.  This could be one of those cases where not reading the book will benefit you.  

[TwiceHorn 31472]

13 minutes ago, Go Pokes said:

Me too, but that preview doesn't have me feeling optimistic.  It might be really good, but I'm not sure it's possible to capture the magic of the novel.  This could be one of those cases where not reading the book will benefit you.  

You are aware that this has been done? 

Alan Arkin will be hard to beat.

[Go Pokes 979]

Of course I am.  How could I be an effective know-it-all if I don't know everything?  So what did you think of the movie?  I afraid I fell victim to spending the entire movie comparing it to the book and just didn't think it was very good.  Do I need to give it another chance?  I haven't read the book or watched the movie in years, so that might help.  

[rage-a-holic 4399]

I guess I'm just missing all the humorous parts of the trailer.

[SuingToGetAMessageBoard? 3861]

12 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Scheisskopf

Is that actually his name in the book?  Because I speak a little German.

[Noah Fence 480]

Very in.

[TwiceHorn 31472]

59 minutes ago, Go Pokes said:

Of course I am.  How could I be an effective know-it-all if I don't know everything?  So what did you think of the movie?  I afraid I fell victim to spending the entire movie comparing it to the book and just didn't think it was very good.  Do I need to give it another chance?  I haven't read the book or watched the movie in years, so that might help.  

I saw the movie before I read the book.  I suppose that colored things for me, but Alan Arkin is Yossarian for me and probably always will be.

This seems to be an unnecessary remake (alert the media!!!) of a fairly classic film.  It's rated 7.2/10 on imdb for material that isn't accessible to a lot of folks, despite the slapstick.  I think the film (and the book) were considered pretty subversive by many in the early 70s. 

[Go Pokes 979]

4 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I saw the movie before I read the book.  I suppose that colored things for me, but Alan Arkin is Yossarian for me and probably always will be.

This seems to be an unnecessary remake (alert the media!!!) of a fairly classic film.  It's rated 7.2/10 on imdb for material that isn't accessible to a lot of folks, despite the slapstick.  I think the film (and the book) were considered pretty subversive by many in the early 70s. 

Arkin was perfect.  Most of the casting seemed pretty dame perfect actually.  I was thinking this was going to be a mini-series.  If I remember correctly, I think one of my problems was that the movie felt rushed and couldn't flesh out some of the plot of the book very effectively.  So I was looking forward to this, but if it's just another 2 hour movie, I'm not feeling encouraged.  I'd like to see something like 4 episodes.  With the cast and the original sources material they had, I would have watched 4 hours of the Arkin version for sure.  

That teaser above seemed kind of weird too.  If I didn't know the book, I don't think I would have even known this is a comedy.   It looks more like a dramatic war movie.  I'm not sure Kyle Chandler is the right guy for this, but I hope I'm wrong.  

[bernorange 8361]

8 minutes ago, Go Pokes said:

... I'd like to see something like 4 episodes.  ..

You'll likely miss the conclusion then.

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... Clooney directs the six-episode series ...

 

[Go Pokes 979]

5 minutes ago, bernorange said:

You'll likely miss the conclusion then.

 

Noice!!  I'm excited again to see what they can do with this.  I thought that was the case, but for some reason I interpreted Twice's comment incorrectly.    

[Nuge 1970]

I received a lot of quizzical looks from people as I read this book many years ago.  This is at the top of the list of books that made me bust out laughing whilst reading.

I'm interested because I love the book so much and it will be interesting to see what they do with a six episode series but the trailer didn't really impress me.  

I'll watch it anyway.

[Llano Estacado 1257]

In. Loved the novel. Liked the original movie.

The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous, and likable. In 3 days no one could stand him.

[atomheartbevo 89670]

4 hours ago, bernorange said:

You'll likely miss the conclusion then.

Originally it was scheduled for just four episodes, but every time they finished an episode, somebody decided they had to do another.  

[Go Pokes 979]

2 hours ago, Llano Estacado said:

In. Loved the novel. Liked the original movie.

The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous, and likable. In 3 days no one could stand him.

This is the kind of thing they had a hard time capturing in the original movie.  And the book was full of them.  

[Longhorn Al 440]

3 hours ago, Nuge said:

I received a lot of quizzical looks from people as I read this book many years ago.  This is at the top of the list of books that made me bust out laughing whilst reading.

I'm interested because I love the book so much and it will be interesting to see what they do with a six episode series but the trailer didn't really impress me.  

I'll watch it anyway.

Me too. I read it in HS. People thought I was a maniac.

6 hours ago, Go Pokes said:

Me too, but that preview doesn't have me feeling optimistic.  It might be really good, but I'm not sure it's possible to capture the magic of the novel.  This could be one of those cases where not reading the book will benefit you.  

I'm most interested in seeing if they can capture the courtroom scene. Funniest thing I've ever read. The sheer absurdity of it all. And the speed with which it happens with everyone talking over each other. Timing will have to be perfect.

[RPM 26321]

First I've heard of this and I'm definitely in. Like @TwiceHorn , Arkin will always be Yossarian to me.

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Couple of weeks.   Here’s the trailer.  

 

[elfenix 34241]

Best book I've ever read. Not sure why it wasn't on the curriculum in high school. Something that's thought provoking while being engaging? No, I had to slog through the misery of a bunch of oklahomans.

[phdhorn 6224]

On 2/13/2019 at 9:21 AM, TwiceHorn said:

You are aware that this has been done? 

Alan Arkin will be hard to beat.

Sorry, like most remakes, it's not going to come anywhere near the original. Plus it had Buck Henry and Jon voight - the airfield bombing scene was stupendous.

It might be good, but it's going to be a far second to Mike Nichols' classic.

Edited April 28, 2019 by phdhorn

[RPM 26321]

18 hours ago, phdhorn said:

Sorry, like most remakes, it's not going to come anywhere near the original.

Whole lotta this. Although, I'd probably still watch if I had Hulu.

[Js1 85338]

That was pretty good

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

Almost done. Good things. 

[Not a cat 5657]

Enjoyed it.  Need to reread the book as it's been so long I can barely remember how true it was to the original. 

I though the guy playing yossarian did a great job.  Milo actor did as well.

[NBMisha 224]

Having grown up in the Army this book was so real.  I think I read it in junior high and, like others here, found it hilarious.  Only much later could I appreciate the darkness. 

Most critics thought the Nichols film didn't get the magic of the book.  Well, ok, there are limits to what can be done with film.  I think for those who knew the book, the film was very good.  One just had to get to the right spot, mentally, and there they were:  Yossarian, Major Major, the whole bunch. 

I will give this hulu effort a try, and also try not to measure it to the unreachable standards of the book, or the Nichols film.  They are making this for an audience that knows jack shit about WW2 and the people and institutions from that era.  So, its just going to be different.  Hopefully not like some epsode from Friends or ER.

 

[Hanrahan 1306]

Watched the first episode and thought it was great. Think they did a good job of getting the right mix of horror and the absurd.

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

I enjoyed this a great deal, having not read the book or seen the movie but having a general idea of the content. 

Not sure how a 6 hour series can compare to a 2 hour or so movie. If anything, I’d think it has more time to be truer to the book. And as demonstrated above, it’s tough for any filming to match a book because so much can be written by an author that cannot translate, at least without constant narration. 

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Working on second episode, impressed so far.  

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Finished third.  Wish more book adaptations could be done this well.  The pacing is solid.  

[lateshow 1304]

I watched 3 episodes last night and greatly enjoyed it. The guy playing Yossarian and Milo are good. Kyle Chandler, like always, rules. 

[Buzzrock 14920]

Just watching this now. Never read the book. Crazy mix of funny and horrifying.

[henrygandorf 29191]

yeah, nailing the tone the way they did is not easy.

[Buzzrock 14920]

Are there supposed to be scenes where you can’t hear what they are saying? I have a new sound bar and can’t tell if it’s that or if it’s intentional. There have been a handful of scenes where characters are talking but planes are flying overhead and the noise drowns them out.

[wood 11225]

On 2/13/2019 at 9:21 AM, TwiceHorn said:

You are aware that this has been done? 

Alan Arkin will be hard to beat.

Yeah, and the rest of the amazing cast of that film. Such a great flick. The series might be pretty good, but I'll always be comparing it to the movie.

Team "Arkin will always be Yossarian".

Edited June 5, 2019 by wood

[wood 11225]

BTW the original film is streaming on Amazon Prime.

[Go Pokes 979]

17 hours ago, wood said:

Yeah, and the rest of the amazing cast of that film. Such a great flick. The series might be pretty good, but I'll always be comparing it to the movie.

Team "Arkin will always be Yossarian".

I just watched the original and I found it lacking.  

[Go Pokes 979]

19 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

Are there supposed to be scenes where you can’t hear what they are saying? I have a new sound bar and can’t tell if it’s that or if it’s intentional. There have been a handful of scenes where characters are talking but planes are flying overhead and the noise drowns them out.

They did the same thing in the original movie so I believe it's intentional

[Go Pokes 979]

I guess I'm just missing all the humorous parts of the trailer.

They seem to be missing from the actual show as well

[Buzzrock 14920]

Liked the show, didn’t much care for the ending.

[Go Pokes 979]

I’m half way thru episode 5 and I’m just not understanding what they were going for. They’ve scrubbed 98% of the humor from it and made it a serious war drama. I imagine if I’d never read the book or seen the original movie and I went in knowing it’s a serious war drama, I might have liked it better. I was expecting MASH and I got The Thin Red Line.

 

On the Derka scale, I give this 1/2 ️ out of 5 stars.

 

[Buzzrock 14920]

Never read the book but I thought the show was pretty funny. And horrifying.

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

3 hours ago, Go Pokes said:

I’m half way thru episode 5 and I’m just not understanding what they were going for. They’ve scrubbed 98% of the humor from it and made it a serious war drama. I imagine if I’d never read the book or seen the original movie and I went in knowing it’s a serious war drama, I might have liked it better. I was expecting MASH and I got The Thin Red Line.

 

On the Derka scale, I give this 1/2 ️ out of 5 stars.

 

I just watched the movie, and everything in the movie is in the miniseries as far as I can tell. 

I did enjoy the movie as well. 

[RomaVicta 29908]

I tried reading the book in college. Couldn't finish it. Tried again last year. Couldn't get past page 100. The movie was pretty good although, as I recall, the ending is weird.

I'm just out of the loop on this one. Same with MASH the movie and TV series. 

[Go Pokes 979]

Ok I finished this.  I fucking hated it and wish I never watched it.  

[wildcat09 29354]

On 6/11/2019 at 9:37 AM, RomaVicta said:

I tried reading the book in college. Couldn't finish it. Tried again last year. Couldn't get past page 100. The movie was pretty good although, as I recall, the ending is weird.

I'm just out of the loop on this one. Same with MASH the movie and TV series. 

Keep reading.

[El Diablo 4232]

The contrast between the absurd humor and the horrible reality of war  is what drove the book, how could they leave that out? I haven't seen this but that's what I'm gathering from the comments above. Is Garfunkle in this one?

[rage-a-holic 4399]

The actor who plays Yossarian would be great in a war drama. This isn't supposed to be a war drama and he's not the least bit funny.
 

I don't see where any of you are finding humor in this adaptation. The writers have literally sucked all the humor out of the book.

[Go Pokes 979]

Glad to see this thread finally make a turn that is making sense to me.  I'm ready for someone who actually liked it to chime in here and let us know why they liked it.  Especially if they are a fan of the book.  Actually, only if they are a fan of the book.  If you're unfamiliar with the book, I could maybe see why you would react differently to this. 

This adaptation reminds me of The Graduate, only reversed.  The Graduate (book) was humorless and almost depressing. Benjamin wasn't really a character you rooted for.  Somehow, Mike Nichols and Buck Henry figured out a way to turn that steaming pile of shit into an American classic in cinema.  Whoever is responsible for this took an American classic in literature and turned it into a humorless, steaming pile of shit.