Pmerems

Pmerems

Well Known Member
Advertiser
Gents,

I just saw Flyboys yesterday and wanted to give some feedback on the movie.

I took my 15 yr old son and my wife to see it. My wife doesn't like war movies or flying, but she came along anyway. I read some early reviews that weren't too flattering but it is an airplane flick so I had to see it.

Keep in mind this a Jerry Bruckheimer film. Jerry produced films like Top Gun, Pearl Harbor, Con Air and many more. All of these movies have a common thread, airplanes and action. Some of the action in Flyboys seemed more Hollywood then history but the movie is based of fact.

The flight scenes that were computer generated looked too washed out and without a doubt I could tell they weren't real. The current issue of Sport Aviation talks about the making of the film and replica aircraft used. It was easy to tell these were replicas when the engines were running and the camera was facing the planes that the cylinders weren't spinning-an easy hint these weren't rotary engines.

I was very similar to Pearl Harbor without a long drawn out "love" triangle. The sound track reminded me of Pearl Harbor.

All in all I enjoyed the film. I will probably add it to my collection of DVDs when it come out (I bet by years end).

My wife actually enjoyed the film-imagine that.

Your mileage may vary.

Paul
 
FYI Bruckheimer had nothing to do with this movie. It was produced by Dean Devlin (Independence day) and was directed by Tony Bill who is a pilot based at SMO
 
I liked it too, although it does not rate up with my best flight movie list. It looks great in "digital projection" too!

As far as rotory engines, I caught that too, but expected it. Would be easy to produce the effect on a computer, but imagine finding working models for a few replica shots. :D

Will also get it on DVD when released.
 
I agree ...good movie, worth the price, but will never be on my "greatest aviation films" list.....I went home and put on "The Blue Max"...WW I shot with real airplanes before the days of CGI....same kind of stereotypical plot lines (which are fine)....but some great flying!


But then, what the heck do I know about "art" - I'm an engineer! :rolleyes:
 
I agree that the real stuff is hard to beat, but I did like the CGI stuff in "The Aviator"
John

Ironflight said:
I agree ...good movie, worth the price, but will never be on my "greatest aviation films" list.....I went home and put on "The Blue Max"...WW I shot with real airplanes before the days of CGI....same kind of stereotypical plot lines (which are fine)....but some great flying!
Click to expand...
 
I stand corrected

davidkarlsberg said:
FYI Bruckheimer had nothing to do with this movie. It was produced by Dean Devlin (Independence day) and was directed by Tony Bill who is a pilot based at SMO
Click to expand...


For some reason I thought it was a Jerry film. I stand corrected.

Paul
 
Blue Max was quite deliberately the first DVD I played on my new 56" tv. There was one shot in particular that reaffirmed the decision to spend the $$$s on the tv: one of the biplanes was returning from a flight, and as it turned on the ground you could see the wooden tail skid dragging through the mud. That's the level of detail you don't get on a small screen.

Now I'm searching for a DVD copy of The Great Waldo Pepper.


Ironflight said:
I agree ...good movie, worth the price, but will never be on my "greatest aviation films" list.....I went home and put on "The Blue Max"...WW I shot with real airplanes before the days of CGI....same kind of stereotypical plot lines (which are fine)....but some great flying!


But then, what the heck do I know about "art" - I'm an engineer! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
 
The story was a little thin, but what the heck... not bad.

The scene where they blew up the Zep was cool, but it didn't run a chill down my back the way Howard Hughe's version did in "Hells Angels" -- and that was in black and white.

But mostly I just cringed when they focused on that same fake LeRhone rotory every time they started up one of those Nieuports. It looked like one of those plastic model airplane cowl plugs. Would it have killed them to stop in at the Rhinebeck Aerodrome and take a few shots of a real rotory startup?

And by the way, since nearly all the flying was digital anyway, why did every German airplane have to be a Fokker DR1 Tri-plane and every French plane a Nieuport 17? By 1917, the Nieuports would have been about all gone, not brand new.
 
Pmerems said:
Gents,

I just saw Flyboys yesterday and wanted to give some feedback on the movie.....

....My wife actually enjoyed the film-imagine that.

Your mileage may vary.

Paul
Click to expand...

Thanks. We and 2 other couples are going this afternoon..looking forward to it. Some other aviator friends went yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am more into WWII flying flicks...favorites being "Piece of Cake" and "Battle of Britain"...some of the clips had to be original.

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is good, and a follow up documentary on the Battle of Midway really puts you on the scene. Many of the Japaneese heros of the December 7 sent to the bottom...what an incredible story. Had the privilege of seeing and speaking with Ens Gay (sole survivor of the torpendo attack unit) at OSH before he passed on. There are tons of black and white photos of the battle on the internet.

dd
 
Last edited:
jonbakerok said:
The story was a little thin, but what the heck... not bad.

The scene where they blew up the Zep was cool, but it didn't run a chill down my back the way Howard Hughe's version did in "Hells Angels" -- and that was in black and white.

But mostly I just cringed when they focused on that same fake LeRhone rotory every time they started up one of those Nieuports. It looked like one of those plastic model airplane cowl plugs. Would it have killed them to stop in at the Rhinebeck Aerodrome and take a few shots of a real rotory startup?
Click to expand...
And they all started so easily on the first pull, too! ;)

Decent movie. Went with some flying buddies. Would be good flick to take older kids to possibly. There's a bit of gore (it is a war movie!), but the sex and swearing is very minimal as I recall. PG-13 rating.

As for the CG graphics, it was fair. I just can't help but think *someone* in the business has the snap to program the animation with realistic flying dynamics. I.e., the plane has to bank, then pull through a turn. The rudder deflects left to cause the nose to swing left. First couple of minutes of the disjointed flying motion was actually a little uncomfortable to watch (brain couldn't synch up, I guess). But I got used to it.

I'm just glad they finally remembered they had handguns onboard!! I'd have been using mine *way* earlier!! ;)
 
Last edited:
jonbakerok said:
Since nearly all the flying was digital anyway, why did every German airplane have to be a Fokker DR1 Tri-plane and every French plane a Nieuport 17? By 1917, the Nieuports would have been about all gone, not brand new.
Click to expand...

There is a pdf that you can download at the Flyboys web site called "Real vs. Reel". It explains some interesting stuff about the movie, including this:

"The Fokker triplane (Dr.1) was actually introduced about six months after the Nieuport 17 of the Lafayette Escadrille was phased out. However, the next series of Nieuports, the 24, 25 and 27?s, were virtually indistinguishable from the 17. In FLYBOYS, the Dr.1 was used so that the audience could distinguish the good guys from the bad guys and, for the same reason, painted red."
 
Dark Blue World is another WWII favorite

This is a movie about two Czech pilots who escape the Germans and make to England - then fly for the British. Very well done and amazing flying sequences. I won't give away the ending but it's just makes you shake your head. It's also based on a true story.
 
Flying movies

Since we're on the topic of "must see" aviation movies, try the BBC series "Piece of Cake." Best aerials of Spitfires (no CGI) I've ever seen. Based on a very controversial novel, the BBC series created a stir in the UK. Controversial because it dared to portray the RAF crews and leadership as somewhat lesser beings than the "gods" that history now makes them. It's fiction but based on a lot of research about the social structure of the RAF (and British society) prior to and at the outbreak of war, and about the ensuing lessons learned during combat. Much more than a flight-flick.

Chris
 
I am more into WWII flying flicks...favorites being "Piece of Cake" and "Battle of Britain"...some of the clips had to be original.

They were, there has never been a movie before or since that had as many actual flying Spits...Of course there were no Mustangs as we were on our own at that point....Darned near lost it all as well...Thankfully the Nazis opened up the Easter front or we would have been done for.

Frank...The very Grateful Brit with Battle of Britain on my TV.
 
I really loved the movie and wasn't bothered by the technically incorrect minutia. I thought the story was great, loved the flying scenes, and was absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of Jennifer Decker as Lucienne. Although this was her first feature film, her character is stunningly attractive (both physical beauty and personality), and I simply couldn't take my eyes off her whenever she was in a scene! My wife and kids (son and daughter), none of which are really enamoured with flying, saw the movie with me and they all loved it.

FWIW, Tony Bill, the director of Flyboys, is an avid pilot and gave a great interview on EAA Radio. Below is a link to the interview. I wish I had 2% of his flying experience...

http://www.airventure.org/radio/clips/Int-JM-TonyBill-flyboysdirector.MP3
 
Last edited:
Jen and I saw Flyboys Tuesday night. Wasn't my all time favorite movie, but any flying movie is pretty much good in my book.

But the most interesting thing (from my perspective) was that Jen absolutely loved the dogfight sequences and is still raving about the way they maneuvered those Nieuports. Best part is...on Wednesday she took the stick literally from the takeoff roll at Chino until descent into the Bay Area. And she did darn good! I had to cancel services with Bakersfield because she was getting into the music and wanted to zig and zag all over the place. She has literally never flown the plane this much, let alone this intently. Whatever this strange woman did with my wife...I don't want to know!

So yeah, I highly recommend Flyboys. :cool:
 
Well...

I was building this one up for me and my wife but I guess I'll pass based on these reviews. I've seen enough mediochre aviation movies to do me for a lifetime.

Bob Axsom
 
Well, I guess if Bob Hover liked it...

I was just reading in GA News that Bob Hoover thought it was the greatest airplane movie he ever saw. Shows what I know.

Bob (Axsom)... just ignore the sky full of Red Barons and all the frozen rotories and enjoy the show. Hollywood doesn't throw us a bone that often. The scene where the bad guy "gets it" is worth the price of admission.
 
OK I'll Keep it in the Queue

I read in the write-up on Steve Hinton in the last EAA Sport Aviation that the defining moment for him in his lifes direction was seeing "The Hunters" with Robert Mitchum, Richard Egan and Robert Wagner. It was way too late for a defining moment in my life but that is the one struck something deep inside me as well. The F-84Fs used as MIG-15s did not affect the feeling. I will never forget when the old WWII Major reported to Korea to fly F-86s was jumped by a senior pilot to see if he still had it. In not time Mitchum was tight on his tail and and Egan observing from the ground quotes "The Ice Man cometh". It may have been filmed anywhere but it sure looked like Korea to me. I'm sure I can get in the mood for "Fly Boys" but if I see another dog like "The Aviator" I will loose faith in Hollywood for sure. By the way if anyone is interested in seeing a real WWI aviation movie I doubt that "Hells Angels" will ever be topped - I rented it from the "Classics" section of Blockbuster.

Bob Axsom
 
Has the road been repaired?

pmathews said:
This is a movie about two Czech pilots who escape the Germans and make to England - then fly for the British. Very well done and amazing flying sequences. I won't give away the ending but it's just makes you shake your head. It's also based on a true story.
Click to expand...


Yes this was a great movie!

Frank
 
Flyboys

Bob Axsom said:
I was building this one up for me and my wife but I guess I'll pass based on these reviews. I've seen enough mediochre aviation movies to do me for a lifetime.

Bob Axsom
Click to expand...


Bob,

You gotta see it! Remember, film critics are exactly that, critics!
Let your mind go, the imagination flow, and enjoy the film. It's Hollywood, not real life (but it does make you wanna go out and do a 14 RV formation takeoff!)

Great action, good story line, and curse those Fokkers! :mad:
 
Bob Axsom said:
... I'm sure I can get in the mood for "Fly Boys" but if I see another dog like "The Aviator" I will loose faith in Hollywood for sure....

Bob Axsom
Click to expand...


Bob, Yes definitely go see this one. I went the other day, and thoroughly enjoyed it..artistic license and all. One of the best parts were when these beasts were on the ground idling and the sweet sound of radial engines could be heard.

The problem with "The Aviator" was that the film had less to do with Howard Hughs' aviation accomplishments, and more to do with his pyschosis...which I got pretty tired of fairly early on in the movie...watched it once and that was enough.
 
I saw it! Very enjoyable movie

I saw it today (10-10-06) and Both my wife and I enjoyed it very much. A good story with several velvet gloved life lessons and the sweet beautiful French girl justs melts your heart. Very, very well done in my opinion.

Bob Axsom
 
Bob Axsom said:
I saw it today (10-10-06) and Both my wife and I enjoyed it very much. A good story with several velvet gloved life lessons and the sweet beautiful French girl justs melts your heart. Very, very well done in my opinion.

Bob Axsom
Click to expand...

As televisions' "McCloud" used to say from time to time....."...there you go...." Heck, I wouldn't even mind seeing it again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.