Catch - 22 - Hulu Original (**Spoilers**)

Agent Coulson

With an All star cast of Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie & George Clooney staring and directing.

Catch-22 is described by Hulu as "the story of the incomparable, artful dodger, Yossarian, a US Air Force bombardier in World War II who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy, but rather his own army which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to avoid his military assignments, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule which specifies that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers which are real and immediate is the process of a rational mind; a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but a request to be removed from duty is evidence of sanity and therefore makes him ineligible to be relieved from duty.

pixelburp

A more extensive trailer has popped up, reminding me that I really must get around to reading that novel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JARn16yojbQ

My favourite book of all time. I'd be really skeptical if any remake could live up but the trailer doesn't look terrible

Agent Coulson

Drops today and is greeting great reviews.

Posy

Absolutely love the book... might sign up to Hulu to give this a watch!

Agent Coulson

I have watched the first 4 episodes of 6.


It is amazing I have to say Clooney has done an amazing job with it.


The cast is near perfect and Kyle Chandler when on screen is simply in a award winning form.

Walter Bishop

Interesting that they seem to be playing it rather straighter than the source material does, first episode was good but that's all I've seen so far.

Foggy Jew

Where are you watching this?

Agent Coulson

Finished it this evening and was hugely impressed with it from start to finish.

I can easily see it cleaning up at the next awards season.

threein99

Deleted User wrote: »

My favourite book of all time. I'd be really skeptical if any remake could live up but the trailer doesn't look terrible

I read the book at the third attempt and really didnt enjoy it at all.

Gimme A Pound

Starting Channel 4 soon - can't wait. Looks unreal.

Laurie, Clooney, Chandler, and the excellent Christopher Abbott as Yossarian - what a treat!

killbillvol2

I love the book so I'm wary of an adaptation but I've watched the first episode and it seems worth sticking with. Excellent cast.

It's not bad. It's not great either. It's worth checking out. I haven't finished it yet though. I don't think the humour or the word play translates that well. The cast is fantastic though which is its saving grace.

expectationlost

very much depends on those circular arguments, which they do atleast 3 times

Blinky Plebum

threein99 wrote: »

I read the book at the third attempt and really didnt enjoy it at all.

I hated the book.


I gave up on it after about 100 pages (100 pages is enough to give any book) as I couldn't take any more of it. Reading it felt like having to endure a really annoying obnoxious individual continually shouting the same joke at you and elbowing you in the side and saying "Funny, isn't it. It's funny this is isn't it" .

Conchir

Interesting, it's one of my favourite books, love the humour in it. Different strokes and all that.

Any indication of when it's out on Channel 4?

pixelburp

How does the series compare with the last (only other?) translation of the book, the 1970 film?

threein99

What's the humour in the book? It went waaayyyy over my head

killbillvol2

threein99 wrote: »

What's the humour in the book? It went waaayyyy over my head

You're kind of wasting your time on this thread then in fairness.

threein99

killbillvol2 wrote: »

You're kind of wasting your time on this thread then in fairness.

I genuinely didn't get an ounce of humour in the book.

pixelburp

pixelburp wrote: »

How does the series compare with the last (only other?) translation of the book, the 1970 film?

Much better than the film. The longer form of a series helps a lot.

Conchir

Don’t want to derail this too much from the tv series, but just one more point on the book. I’ve always seen a bit of Catch-22 in padraiggg’s writing: https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2055716814

Perhaps just me, but I’ve always seen similarities in the style/tone/humour.

JP Liz V1

Conchir wrote: »

Interesting, it's one of my favourite books, love the humour in it. Different strokes and all that.

Any indication of when it's out on Channel 4?

Channel 4 on Thursday June 20th at 9pm

storker

threein99 wrote: »

What's the humour in the book? It went waaayyyy over my head

I read it when I was 17 and found it a bit of a slog and not very funny. I read it again about a year later and it took me about two weeks and I found it hilarious. I've read it several times since.

For the, the humour is in the insanity of the different situations and character outlooks, and in the paradoxical way Heller puts many things. e.g.

Colonel Cathcart maintains a house in the hills where it's rumoured that he has wild parties with plenty of booze and women. In fact, he has the house but the parties don't happen, because General Dreedle, who Catchcart would love to impress, never visits it, and ... "Colonel Cathcart wasn't going to spend time making love to beautiful women unless there was something in it for him".

"The case against Clevinger was open and shut. All that was missing was something to charge him with."

"...the officers' club which Yossarian had not helped to build. In fact there were many officers' clubs he had not helped to build, but he was proudest of the one on Pianosa."

"He loved both his parents even though they had been very good to him."

(Quotes are from memory so may not be 100% accurate.)

storker

This version looks a bit more promising than the mish-mash that was the movie. The IMDB cast list shows that there a more characters included from the book that the movie left out e.g. Major ___ de Coverly, Clevinger, Lt. Scheisskopf, Kid Sampson, Michaela the maid with the lime-coloured panties, and even Mudd, the dead man in Yossarian's tent. I don't see any mention of Hungry Joe, or Chief White Halfoat, though.

Set to record episode 1 this evening, fingers crossed...

branie2

Just watched the first episode on Channel 4, and I must say it was very good

AndrewJRenko

branie2 wrote: »

Just watched the first episode on Channel 4, and I must say it was very good

A good mix of the absurdity of large organisations and the horror of war - Doc Daneeka was great at explaining Catch 22.

Did anyone else get a couple of glitches while recording it (Virgin Media, Horizon box)? Sound crackled and picture froze for 4 or 5 seconds twice in the first 10 minutes, but seemed to be OK after that.

nc6000

Anyone still following this on Channel 4? It's three episodes in and not bad so far.

branie2

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

A good mix of the absurdity of large organisations and the horror of war - Doc Daneeka was great at explaining Catch 22.

Did anyone else get a couple of glitches while recording it (Virgin Media, Horizon box)? Sound crackled and picture froze for 4 or 5 seconds twice in the first 10 minutes, but seemed to be OK after that.

I have Sky, so I was fine

Finished this (on a plane of all places). I take back my criticism. It's actually very good. So many good moments. I love how each of the ambitious officers turn into idiotic bumbling children when a higher ranked officer is around.

Conchir

Been slow on this so far, only 2 episodes in. Really enjoying the portrayal of Milo, exactly as I read him in the book. Also find Major de Coverley and Colonel Cathcart very well played.

To be honest, I think pretty much all of the cast are bang on. Looking forward to watching the rest.

steve_r

Got bored with this three episodes in - is it worth seeing out?

Read the book and I like the cast etc but I just wasn't compelled to go back to it.

Walter Bishop

If you didn't like the first three you won't like the other three.

steve_r

steve_r wrote: »

Got bored with this three episodes in - is it worth seeing out?

Read the book and I like the cast etc but I just wasn't compelled to go back to it.

I actually got bored after the first two and didn't touch it for months, but binged the next four in one sitting. Really enjoyed it then.

Walter Bishop

We binged it as well actually and I think that may be the way to enjoy a show like this - so perhaps watching the other three all at once might be the way to go.

AMKC

Anyone here being watching this. It is a Channel 4 show but George Cloney is in parts of it.
Its about US Airforce Bombardiers during WW II but also kinda a comedy too.
It is actually quiet good and funny in a dark way. There is time's when you think ok I l know that is supposed to be funny and kind of want to laugh but also think should I as its quit dark. It is also quiet gory too. Lots of blood.

Highly recommend watching it if you get a chance.

brian_t

Catch - 22 - Hulu Original (**Spoilers**)

The Black Oil

Threads merged.

branie2

I really enjoyed the series

AndrewJRenko

Smallish quibble, but I didn't like the way they drifted away from the book for Major Major Major Major. In the book, he was promoted to Major Major Major Major by an IBM computer with a sense of humour.

Posy

They drifted away from the book for a good bit of it, really!
Still very enjoyable though.

Acosta

Enjoyable enough. Better than the movie anyway.

AndrewJRenko

Was there an in-joke around the episode numbering?

AndrewJRenko

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Was there an in-joke around the episode numbering?

Not as far as I know. Looks like a mess up with their automated labeling system.

fixXxer

Just started watching this at the weekend. Three episodes in. As someone who loves the book, I have to say I think this is super well done. Casting really hit it right with all the characters.

The ending of episode

3 with Kid Sampson.

Holy ****. My wife and I actually sat there in silence after for a couple of minutes, and I knew it was coming.

JP Liz V1

brian_t wrote: »

Catch-22 starts on TG4 on Wednesday 8th January at 10.30pm.

The 1970 film of the same name is on TG4 on Wednesday 1st January at 10.30pm.

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