Recommended: HBO's Generation Kill

[Webmaster]

I recently watched the TV series "Generation Kill" by HBO Films, about a Marine recon element during the invasion of Iraq. I highly recommend it. Super cast and directing. It's based on a journalist's story who was imbedded with the unit, and he's also played. I think it's a good representation of the composition of the modern day marines. There's the constant struggle between the Marines' 'get some' attitude and human conscience for the men, who are also dealing with incompetent leadership on basically all levels. I've got the feeling it is quite accurate and realistic, but maybe that's because it looked a lot like what I think was Discovery's "I was there" documentary. It certainly isn't your typical Hollywood production, although with some representations you have to remember the viewpoint, a journalist that becomes 'one of the guys', rather than someone with the whole picture, if that makes sense.
There's not too much aviation involved, apart from some CAS by Cobras, A-10 flypasts and a 'out of place' UH-1B I think, I suppose to present a later model. But the story, characters, action and military slang makes up for that.  There's also plenty of humor in it.

[F-111 C/C]

I've heard great things about this series. I saw "The Hurt Locker" the other day (Army EOD in Iraq) and in discussing this film with a Marine who spent time in Iraq, he said the "Generation Kill" series was the MOST accurate depiction of his time over there that he has seen from Hollywood to date.

[Viggen]

I saw Generation Kill last year. One of the best war series ever shown on TV, its up there with Band Of Brothers. If you have missed GK, then you better be off and buy the DVD-box or download it. It is truly worth watching. 

[F-111 C/C]

That's what I'll do, thanks!

[Viggen]

I saw The Hurt Locker last week. I think it was a good movie, perhaps not very realistic. But still it was worth to look at. I can also recommend the documentaries "Ross Kemp in Afghanistan" and "Brothers at war". 

[Choo Choo]

I just read HELLA NATION, a book Evan Wright published recently. There is some military stuff in it--about 101st Airborne troops in Afghanistan-- but mostly it's writing he did for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair about Americans, from Anarchists to Ultimate Fighters to some pretty insane stuff about Hollywood.   A lot of the writing in HELLA NATION has the same darkness and humor and oddball characters as Generation Kill. Wright also goes into his background writing at Hustler, which he mentions in Generation Kill, but here it's much more personal.  His essay about the porn industry is definitely creepy and fascinating.  HELLA is very much the same writing as Generation Kill, but the subjects are very different.