Poll: Will 'The Pacific' win the Emmy battle?
War dramas like "The Pacific" often do well in the Emmy clash to win best TV miniseries. For example, "Band of Brothers" won in 2002. Back in 1989, "War & Remembrance" pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the TV award's history when it shot down the critically acclaimed ratings hit "Lonesome Dove." But beware: War flicks are not almighty. Last year, "Generation Kill" lost to "Little Dorrit."
"The Pacific" has a few other strong pluses, though: It's exec-produced by Tom Hanks, who recently won the category several times ("John Adams," "Band of Brothers," "From the Earth to the Moon"); it's also produced by past champ Steven Spielberg ("Band of Brothers," "Taken"); and it airs on HBO. which claimed the category five times in the last 10 years.
But it must conquer some formidable foes in the battle over best mini: "Alice," "Emma," "The Prisoner," "Return to Cranford," "Small Island" and "Torchwood: Children of Earth."
"The Pacific" gets a high score at Metacritic (86). Matt Roush of TV Guide says, "'The Pacific' is magnificent in its visual and graphically visceral scope and shattering in its emotional, deeply personal impact." Robert Bianco of USA Today hails it as "the best war movie ever made for TV."
However, Variety blasted it for lacking "a strong sense of cohesion" and "a compelling hook to pull the audience along." The Washington Post says it "fails to arrive at a coherent, artistic sensibility."
Photo credit: HBO
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Ugh, didn't we have these same two producers already do a wartime miniseries called, "Band of Brothers"? Can't these two come up with anything else? I hope it doesn't win the Emmy because it seems like these two could make a film about a piece of grass growing and it'd win because of who they are and politics. You two love war movies we get it, now move on already.
Posted by: Ryan Cole | March 20, 2010 at 04:51 PM
all I want to know is " where can I watch it?"
Posted by: norman wood | March 17, 2010 at 09:49 AM
The difference between "The Pacific" and the unsuccessful bid of last year's "Generation Kill" is that "Kill" was much more analytical in tone, colder, less sentimental, just like that other great program by David Simon the Emmys never awarded: "The Wire."
"The Pacific" has the grand sweep, the Greatest Generation import, the big, colorful dialogue passages about the horrors of war, and, of course, the Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg connection, which from the word go brands it a veritable sequel to "Band of Brothers." Emmy voters won't be able to help themselves. I think the race for Best Miniseries was over when its premiere was announced; all it had to do was avoid negative reviews, and it has done that and then some.
Posted by: Daniel Montgomery | March 16, 2010 at 11:48 AM