Cinéma vérité - and all other types

[Orogun01]

The 'roman' (mostly allied) cavalry was just rubbish, and always was. All the large battles the Romans lost against Hannibal (Trebia, Trasimene) except Cannae involved their centre holding cohesion while the flanks got slaughtered and said centre just chopping their way through the Carthaginian line to escape, at Cannae they lost cohesion everywhere after their initial success and couldn't do that. No quarter given and the winning side having more than 20% casualties themselves led to the massive death toll, usually the losing side either surrendered or ran away.

 

Borodino is usually cited as the bloodiest day in Europe since Cannae. Even with a moderate estimate for Cannae's death toll it's still 1/20 that of a Verdun or Somme, with swords and spears, and over far less than 1/20 the time scale of those battles.

 

And to be somewhat on topic, Vin Diesel as Hannibal in the movies he was pitching would have been a sight to see.

I think you might be overlooking all the prelude that Hannibal did to ensure Cannae happened that it happened the way he wanted it.

He let the Romans win a skirmish to bolster their confidence and underestimate his cavalry, and he successfully harassed the Romans into a battlefield of his choosing.

 

[Zoraptor]

I'm not ignoring it as Hannibal was undoubted a superb tactician, I just didn't mention them as they weren't relevant.

 

(I am highly skeptical of some parts of the battle narrative though due to Livy and Polybius both being more than a touch prone to spreading what might now be referred to as 'fake news'. Paullus was almost certainly not blameless- his family was immensely powerful however- and the supposed cavalry ruse in Livy involving a fake surrender doesn't work well timing wise and I suspect exists to give a reason for the terrible cavalry performance blaming perfidy instead of them just being atrocious/ cowardly since a lot of prominent Romans escaped in said cavalry. That it was one of if not the single most complete victories of all time cannot really be doubted whatever the exact details)

[Orogun01]

I'm not ignoring it as Hannibal was undoubted a superb tactician, I just didn't mention them as they weren't relevant.

 

(I am highly skeptical of some parts of the battle narrative though due to Livy and Polybius both being more than a touch prone to spreading what might now be referred to as 'fake news'. Paullus was almost certainly not blameless- his family was immensely powerful however- and the supposed cavalry ruse in Livy involving a fake surrender doesn't work well timing wise and I suspect exists to give a reason for the terrible cavalry performance blaming perfidy instead of them just being atrocious/ cowardly since a lot of prominent Romans escaped in said cavalry. That it was one of if not the single most complete victories of all time cannot really be doubted whatever the exact details)

The whole battle could also be framed within the context of Roman class system. Verrus was a commoner and the Roman cavalry at the time had quite the few patricians on it, as they could afford to maintain horses. I think Roman politics might have also played a role in the outcome of Cannae, the rejection of the Fabian strategy and the class divide within the Senate seem to be weak points that Hannibal exploited. Carthaginian intelligence was way ahead of its time.

 

PS: Movie thread, something something about movies. They all suck anyways.

Cathedral of the Sea, good TV show if you are not averse to graphic depictions of realistic themes (Translation: Its set on the middle ages and doesn't shy away from the dark events of the period, although it is never gratuitous)

[Blarghagh]

And did they ever get rid of the Compys in South America?

The Compys that were only there in the novel? I don't recall that subplot making it off the page.

[Amentep]

 

And did they ever get rid of the Compys in South America?

The Compys that were only there in the novel? I don't recall that subplot making it off the page.

 

 

My memory mixed the book and Lost World Jurassic Park.  Opening of LW has the girl attacked by Compys, but that's apparently on Isla Sorna and not on the Costa Rica coast like it is in the book.

[Blarghagh]

To be fair, in the books that subplot also went nowhere.

[Tale]

How the heck are you guys remembering that book subplot? I was obsessed with Jurassic Park in the 90s and about the only thing I remember from the books is the Pteranadon river in JP and the invisible dino in LW.

 

Upgrade. Unexpectedly good.

Also this was a very fun movie. I have to recommend it.

[Blarghagh]

Well, for me that obsession never stopped. I re-read both books before Fallen Kingdom came out. Jurassic Park is my Star Wars and I'll stick with that franchise no matter how more awful it's bound to get. I even have some 200 hours in that new game, which by all real metrics has maybe 10 hours worth of content in it. In essence, I'm a sad nerd boy holding on to childhood nostalgia with desperation.

[SonicMage117]

 

It's more legit. It's the Transformers movie we've always wanted in the 80's but never got.

Edited September 26, 2018 by SonicMage117

[Amentep]

I've read Jurassic Park a few times, and seen all the movies a bunch and I just re-read Jurassic Park right after Jurassic World came out.  The dinosaurs in Costa Rica in the opening always stuck with me, though, since its a big difference between the two and actually implies a lot about what you'll find out in the novel, IMO.

[Blarghagh]

It also adds a layer of urgency to the story, what with only Grant and the kids knowing there's raptors on the boat to the mainland and being stuck in the wilderness and having to find their way back before the boat makes landfall.

[Tale]

I feel like you're spoiling a book I've already read twice. I really should read it again.

[SonicMage117]

Agreed, I loved the books, particularly the first two. There's a bit more depth to the characters and such much changed/altered when the movie adaptations going about (as expected). Sadly, we never did see Malcom use his skillset in the movies, which was truly disappointing but the book's bustling drives each character forward by showcasing each character in such ways. Additionally, Telltale's Jurassic Park game and the Lego Jurassic World (which includes plotholes for all 4 movies leading up to Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom) lend a hand to tell things that the writers and directors never were able to in their books/movies so that was really cool to get those parts we never otherwise would have.

 

 

As far a my memories with the films, I will share them with you..

 

I remember the first time I saw Jurassic Park in the theater, I was a wee lad, my father took me on opening day as a surprise. There was a Jurassic Park jeep on one end of the theater and a Jurassic Park explorer on the the other end. Props abound. It was like a playground to me since I had a dresser decorated with miniature plastic dinosaurs and posters of encyclopedia cutouts with dinosaur paintings accompanied by the appropriated scientific name.

 

The other memory was pretty bad, my whole family went to see The Lost World and I suddenly got a bad stomach ache during the first 15 minutes. Needless to say we left the theater as I was not feeling good.

 

I skipped the third in theatrical attendance and waited for it to come out on dvd. I think I actually like it better than the second. Jurassic World and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom were alright. Fallen Kingdom is pretty sad at times.

[Amentep]

I saw the first Jurassic Park multiple times at the theater.  The last time I saw it, I'd mistimed the end of the movie so bad I had to run a mile and a half so as to not miss my last chance to get a ride home (instead of the leisurely walk I'd planned).

 

Good times, good times.

[Blarghagh]

I was five when I saw it and when that Brachiosaur first appeared, I was 100% convinced it was real. I recall asking my elementary school teacher if she could point out Isla Nublar on a map. That's movie magic I'll never experience again.

[SonicMage117]

Well, of course we only believe such foolishness when we are a kid. It can be good or bad depending on your outlook on it. However, when a person becomes an adult, they have a hard time believing something real is... real. Which is always bad. Funny and ironic how it works

 

Imagination is such a sad thing but also very fun when we partake of it. Keeps the mind both healthy and unhealthy, there is nothing like it. I remember playing old games like the very first Tomb Raider, The Lost World, Air Combat and Soul Blade. I thought they looked so good, at the time they were ptobably ground breaking. Now I see them and I think "My god... I've never seen anything look so horrid lol"

[injurai]

I was five when I saw it and when that Brachiosaur first appeared, I was 100% convinced it was real. I recall asking my elementary school teacher if she could point out Isla Nublar on a map. That's movie magic I'll never experience again.

 

I still find the dinosaurs very believable. I don't remember my initial take but I did think something about it was closer to the truth than it really was. I think the whole scientific dna video really sold the plausibility of it.

[Tale]

Now I just need a dino movie with feathers.

[Lexx]

As little children we occasionally played with grandparents chickens and imagined them to be dinosaurs. Funny how it probably was closer to reality than the depiction of dinosaurs in the media. :>

[majestic]

As little children we occasionally played with grandparents chickens and imagined them to be dinosaurs. Funny how it probably was closer to reality than the depiction of dinosaurs in the media. :>

 

Especially when it comes to Raptors.

[Gfted1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=QWbMckU3AOQ

[Malcador]

As little children we occasionally played with grandparents chickens and imagined them to be dinosaurs. Funny how it probably was closer to reality than the depiction of dinosaurs in the media. :>

 

Someone needs to make an El Pollo Diablo movie.

[Agiel]

As divisive a movie Mandy is, it has at least given the world this image:

 

Edited September 27, 2018 by Agiel

[SonicMage117]

Uhhh...

 

Yet another amazing X-men movie? I'll answer that for you: "YES."

[injurai]