The Omnibox: all things television
- Thread starter Town Heretic
- Start date
Arthur Brain
Well-known member
𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭:: An intriguing Sci-fi/Espionage show with J.K. Simmons in dual roles and that was axed too early, sadly...
annabenedetti
like marbles on glass
I saw that, I like J.K. Simmons.
Hey, it's a fair comparison. I just finished series two of Paradise as it happens..
It's a lesson in human hierarchies and motivations.
Every once in a while you hear about billionaire bunkers, but this article is recent and it got my attention:
In the summer of 2026, a Virginia-based firm called Safe (Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments) is unveiling Aerie, its flagship underground complex near Washington, D.C., at a construction cost of $300 million. The project plans to expand to a network of luxury doomsday residential bunkers across 50 U.S. cities, with 1,000 affiliate locations worldwide. Residences can cost up to $20 million each. Aerie is not a product for survivalists buying freeze-dried food in bulk. It is a product for a class of people so wealthy that spending $20 million on a contingency plan barely registers as a line item.
. . . .
What the Billionaires Are Actually Afraid Of
Media theorist and CUNY professor Douglas Rushkoff got an unusually direct look at this fear. In his book Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, he describes being invited to speak to some of the world’s wealthiest people about the “future of technology.” When he arrived, he found himself answering one urgent question from five extraordinarily powerful men: How do I survive what’s coming? These billionaires were asking how to insulate themselves from the social unrest, climate change, and technological disruption that their own ventures had helped to cause – with solutions ranging from fortified bunkers to escape plans for New Zealand to launching into space.
Hoffman has said that for many in this world, the worry is specifically that AI may lead to vast unemployment, and that public opinion might turn against Silicon Valley bosses to the extent it’s no longer safe for them. The question being asked, in Hoffman’s own words: “Is the country going to turn against the wealthy? Is it going to turn against technological innovation? Is it going to turn into civil disorder?”
[Tech billionaires] are not primarily afraid of asteroids or pandemics. They are afraid of us – of the people below them on the wealth ladder, and of the social consequences of the inequality they have helped build. That fear is an implicit acknowledgment that the current distribution of wealth and power is indefensible, and that they know it.
Hoffman has said that for many in this world, the worry is specifically that AI may lead to vast unemployment, and that public opinion might turn against Silicon Valley bosses to the extent it’s no longer safe for them. The question being asked, in Hoffman’s own words: “Is the country going to turn against the wealthy? Is it going to turn against technological innovation? Is it going to turn into civil disorder?”
[Tech billionaires] are not primarily afraid of asteroids or pandemics. They are afraid of us – of the people below them on the wealth ladder, and of the social consequences of the inequality they have helped build. That fear is an implicit acknowledgment that the current distribution of wealth and power is indefensible, and that they know it.
Arthur Brain
Well-known member
Fantastic actor, Whiplash is in my top 100 films.
I enjoyed it. The second season not as much as the first overall, I felt it stretched things out a bit too much but that could just be me and certainly very thought provoking. The article you post is also thought provoking,,,
annabenedetti
like marbles on glass
I really liked him in Night Sky.
annabenedetti
like marbles on glass
@Arthur Brain I saw a recommendation from a historian today for this German three-part miniseries:
The historian was thrashing a 2026 movie called Lucky Strike which (apart from the acting which hasn't been highly regarded either) was in his opinion poorly researched for historical accuracy, and because you could clearly see some of the weapons were rubber, which is one thing in a distant shot with extras, and another in a closeup with one of the principal characters.
He mentioned this Generation War as a more excellent choice. When I looked it up, it seems Generation War has had its own controversy, so I want to look into it a little more as to why. It's a total unknown to me at this point. If you've seen it, let me know.
On edit, wow, lots of opinion on Generation War, now I'm as interested in the opinions as I am in the series.
The historian was thrashing a 2026 movie called Lucky Strike which (apart from the acting which hasn't been highly regarded either) was in his opinion poorly researched for historical accuracy, and because you could clearly see some of the weapons were rubber, which is one thing in a distant shot with extras, and another in a closeup with one of the principal characters.
He mentioned this Generation War as a more excellent choice. When I looked it up, it seems Generation War has had its own controversy, so I want to look into it a little more as to why. It's a total unknown to me at this point. If you've seen it, let me know.
On edit, wow, lots of opinion on Generation War, now I'm as interested in the opinions as I am in the series.
Last edited:
Arthur Brain
Well-known member
I actually tried to stream this on a site I generally use and it wasn't there unfortunately. Sometimes foreign dramas aren't so easy to get hold of but I'm definitely interested in watching this.
Arthur Brain
Well-known member
Nearly finished the second season and it's held my interest throughout. Dunno if there's going to be actual answers as to what's actually happening in this weird town but it's thoroughly entertaining with some really strong characters.
annabenedetti
like marbles on glass
Darn, I hope you can find it at some point. I can stream it here but been too busy for a bit to commit to a series. I'll try to watch it maybe next week, and let you know what I think.
Arthur Brain
Well-known member
It's a mini series so it's like four and a half hours long in total. Let me know and I'll see if I can stream it somewhere too.
annabenedetti
like marbles on glass
annabenedetti
like marbles on glass
I watched it. Very, very well acted. The last hour was the most harrowing. In the beginning is optimism and naiveté, even for Jewish Viktor. They plan to meet the next Christmas in Berlin. That never happens, of course. A reunion happens in the rubble of 1945 Berlin. I don't want to give away the plot, but I knew going in the series had generated controversy. I didn't look into why beforehand, because I didn't want to bias the viewing experience. I looked it up after, and was somewhat bemused. Some of the controversy I could understand, but I didn't agree with all of it. I don't want to go into why unless you don't mind before watching it yourself.
Arthur Brain
Well-known member
I'm going to have trouble streaming this unfortunately so I don't mind at all you sharing your insights.
annabenedetti
like marbles on glass
I'm going to have trouble streaming this unfortunately so I don't mind at all you sharing your insights.
Okay, but hope you'll be able to watch it someday. The original title is Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter, and I wonder why they made the English title so different. I think it works better with the original, Our Mothers, Our Fathers, because they've had to carry that history with them in all the decades after.
Anyway. It does a good job of showing war as hell. Much, if not the majority of the series focuses on the Eastern Front in Russia and Poland. You know what's coming when the German soldiers marvel at how far they're advancing into Russia, look how powerful they are.. but it's summertime. You know winter is coming. And it does, with a vengeance.
There are five friends, all very young, around 20 years old. Two are brothers - the older Wilhelm, an officer, and the younger Friedhelm, an enlisted man. Wilhelm has no problem apparently, with a war of conquest, while Friedhelm is idealistic and also pessimistic because he sees war for what it is, a pointless meat grinder. Another friend, Viktor, is Jewish, with a father who thinks his usefulness to society as a tailor will protect him, and who as he dutifully sews the Star of David on a sleeve, tells Viktor that even if it's wrong, a good German doesn't break the law. Two young women round out the group of five friends, the ambitious Greta, on her way to being a famous singer, and Charlotte, the earnest newly trained nurse doing her patriotic duty.
What makes the series so good is how their personalities break under the strain. Survival becomes everything. I don't remember the exact words, but the narrator (Wilhelm) says something about first the soldier fights for their country, then for their comrades, and then you're alone and the only one you can deceive is yourself. The breakdown of conscience, when they stop caring about killing, even innocent civilians. The idealistic younger brother has his idealism beaten out of him. The older brother, a natural leader, ends up deserting. They are deadened to pain, to emotion, whether in themselves or in others. The dutiful Charlotte betrays a Jewish nurse, and then trying to amend what she'd done, goes to great lengths to try to save another nurse who would be considered a collaborator. Greta, who has a pampered life as a wartime entertainer, shows surprising grit for what she does to protect her Jewish boyfriend and ultimately to speak truth to power. The Jewish Viktor is steadfast, and gives away his Jewish identity to the Polish partisans he's been with to save Jewish prisoners on a train bound for a concentration camp that the partisans were going to leave on the train to die. Ultimately Viktor's moral courage sets up a scenario for his survival.
Not everyone makes it back. I'll leave it for you to hopefully watch for yourself someday, to find out who.
A couple things about controversy: Poles were outraged by the depiction of the Polish partisans as antisemitic. It's not an either/or, it's a both. Yes, there were Polish partisans who sheltered and saved Jews. There are many who received commendations for their work, and many thousands of Jews who were saved. However - it's also no secret that there was, and still is, antisemitism in Poland. I knew that before I even watched the series. And the series did have a couple of Polish partisans who were protective of Viktor, and in fact saved him.
Another point of controversy was that because the series was a German production, it was too sympathetic to the Aryan Germans, suffering through a war of their own doing, and that there wasn't enough focus on the Holocaust. I don't really agree with that, for a couple reasons. First, this was more a story about the carnage and futility of the war on the Eastern Front. The major characters are the military brothers, then Charlotte the nurse and Viktor, the Jewish - en route to the concentration camp - escapee, then Greta the supporter on the home front. You can only do so much in a 3-episode series that's not specifically about the Holocaust. Next, I did think they portrayed Viktor's story very well. His character was nuanced, and not a one-dimensional stereotype. I think behind all the rest was their youthful ignorance and misplaced patriotism and obedience to authority, and a willingness to self-deception - that the war was just, that it was patriotic duty to be the invading force (civilians in the way be damned), that being a nurse at the front lines to men who were killing Jews, civilians, children, because they all were following orders. Or singing while Berlin was being emptied of Jewish Berliners. In a way they were all just cogs in the wheels of the powerful, who start wars but expect the little people to fight them. But they had the chance to live by their conscience. Easy to believe they can, until they're put to the test. Same as it ever was.
But still... knowing how many Nazis managed to get away, emigrating to different parts of the world and starting new lives.. like Dorn the Gestapo officer, who I haven't mentioned yet. He gets away with it. Every German of a certain age watching him get away with it must've had that uneasy, unspoken reminder that most Germans got away with it.
Oh my gosh, so much more I could say, I feel like I'm missing half of what I'm still processing.
Last edited: