The Down Range Forum

Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: PegLeg45 on April 19, 2010, 10:19:12 PM

Title: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: PegLeg45 on April 19, 2010, 10:19:12 PM
Starts Sunday.......six installments....looks interesting......anyone gonna watch?

America The Story of Us
Premieres Sunday April 25 at 9/8c

http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us

http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/america-the-story-of-us-trailer#america-the-story-of-us-trailer

Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: bulldog75 on April 19, 2010, 11:12:14 PM
Yes I am going to watch it. My wife and kids have set the timer to record it. I think they are more interested than I am.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: alfsauve on April 20, 2010, 07:33:22 AM
wonder if this is based in part on the book, The History of the American People  which I'm wading through?
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: shooter32 on April 20, 2010, 08:35:41 AM
My DVR is set, looks to be done well.

I'll give it a look see.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: Pathfinder on April 20, 2010, 01:07:51 PM
Most HC stuff is pretty good, unless they get all greenie/environmental on you. I plan to watch it and enjoy it if it is as good as the promos seem to indicate.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: r_w on April 20, 2010, 01:19:01 PM
Most HC stuff is pretty good, unless they get all greenie/environmental on you. I plan to watch it and enjoy it if it is as good as the promos seem to indicate.

+1

I can say they tend to be more accurate/balance than school textbooks even when they go green.  They are the new PBS (which is now Pravda BS)
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: Pathfinder on April 25, 2010, 08:26:12 PM
Watching it now, so-so at the moment. Very glossy, light touch on subjects, ran through to the Rpre-Revolution days in less than 20 minutes. Focus on Jamestown and Boston. What, no Maryland? No Pennsylvania? South Carolina?

And WTF are they doing with that racist a$$hole and noted beer swilling dipstick Henry Louis Gates Jr. as one of the talking heads?
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: david86440 on April 25, 2010, 09:18:52 PM
i watched about 10 minutes of it...... now watching Beer for My Horses, at the part where Nugent shoots the guy in the ass.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: Dakotaranger on April 25, 2010, 09:42:36 PM
It's ok.  Some stuff I didn't know.

But the  real shocker.  The colonists had privately purchased firearms.   ;D

While what comrade President said to preface the show is accurate, BUT it's disgusting to think he doesn't believe a sylable out of his  mouth.

The spy network that was in NY was pretty interesting
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: PegLeg45 on April 25, 2010, 11:13:55 PM
Watching it now, so-so at the moment. Very glossy, light touch on subjects, ran through to the Rpre-Revolution days in less than 20 minutes. Focus on Jamestown and Boston. What, no Maryland? No Pennsylvania? South Carolina?

And WTF are they doing with that racist a$$hole and noted beer swilling dipstick Henry Louis Gates Jr. as one of the talking heads?

My take so far as well.....for a 6-episode arc at 2 hours each, they could delve a little more deeply into some of the subjects.

The HC has done pretty well at keeping things balanced in the past, I really hope this doesn't turn into a spin on certain historical facts. I'll tune in again next week and see how it starts to pan out.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: shooter32 on April 26, 2010, 08:32:07 AM
for a 6-episode arc at 2 hours each, they could delve a little more deeply into some of the subjects.

+1
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: Pathfinder on April 26, 2010, 09:58:57 AM
My take so far as well.....for a 6-episode arc at 2 hours each, they could delve a little more deeply into some of the subjects.

I think they ended up doing that with the Battle of Saratoga, which was instrumental in getting French supports, and the sniper killing of Farser. The rest of it was glossy and weak.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: 2HOW on April 26, 2010, 10:26:37 AM
watched both parts, very good representation of history for a TV show. I kept relating to todays troubles , only the red coats are in the white house.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: twyacht on April 26, 2010, 05:44:32 PM
BHO gave the opening intro,....set the tone for the rest of the show.... :-\

Wasn't bad,...at least it will be shown in over 600 schools nationwide, seems a lack of decent history lessons are currently the norm, at grade level.

Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: PegLeg45 on April 26, 2010, 07:26:45 PM
One thing it has going for it is if school kids see it, maybe the action will pique their curiosity enough to want to learn more.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: jaybet on April 27, 2010, 11:41:29 AM
One of the lightest whiffs across american history I've ever seen... like a Reader's Digest version of a Cliff notes book. Plus it looked a lot more like an ad for BHO and Bank of America than anything else.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: Big Frank on April 27, 2010, 12:08:45 PM
I watched Family Guy and American Dad instead. Probably will next week too. I guess I should get a DVR and record stuff that I'll miss.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: Dakotaranger on April 27, 2010, 11:34:21 PM
It really seams like they were just trying to wet a person's taste to look farther into history...if that happens it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I have seen much better programs on the History Channel
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: Pathfinder on May 03, 2010, 07:32:13 AM
Much better indeed, DR.

I did watch part 2 - yes, I am that much of a history junkie!  :D

Light, glossy treatment again, only this time rife with celebrities - Martha Stewart, Tom Brokow, Michael Douglas, some bearded wonk who is one of the founders of Wikipedia (WTF?). One of the better lines was Brian Williams (I think) saying in references to the idea of Manifest Destiny - The owner's manual says this is all ours - keep going west!" Good line.

At the risk of repeating myself, WTF do I care what these talking heads - who make their living out of reading what other people have written for them to say - think? Most of them can't, so again, what do I care?

I was listening to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast the other day, and he quoted someone as saying "History is philosophy in action". Interesting perspective, not sure what to do with that tho.
Title: Re: America: The Story of Us - Premieres Sunday April 25
Post by: PegLeg45 on May 03, 2010, 05:59:22 PM
I did watch part 2 - yes, I am that much of a history junkie!  :D

At the risk of repeating myself, WTF do I care what these talking heads - who make their living out of reading what other people have written for them to say - think? Most of them can't, so again, what do I care?

I agree.....all the time these boobs spent blathering on with opinions could have been more wisely used for more history info and scenes.

But, I also still think it could benefit school kids, to the extent that a competent teacher backed it with positive lessons.