Blackbeard Miniseries

[Rats]

OK here's where I'll say I could care less that it's wasn't perfectly PC or even PFC. But for about six bucks I picked up the Blackbeard miniseries at Wallyworld.. That's about three hours of pirate Sh-tuff for the price of lunch!!

A nice change from Jack Sparrow!

[Tartan Jack]

And, from I remember about it, about as accurate.

[JoshuaRed]

Gawd I just wish David Milch would take on pirates with all the bravado AND accuracy of Deadwood. Show the other suckers how it should be done!

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Yup, we got one for 5 bucks at wallyworld, and yup, it is dorky, but I gotta give credit to Angus McFayden for his role. If it wasn't for everything else, his performance alone was worth the price! It is a great way to entertain the young'uns on a rainy day when all else has been exhausted too!

Bo

[Rats]

Agreed.. So much was wrong, yet entertaining!!

And I would also like to second the vote for a made for cable series more like Deadwood!!!

Maybe we should start writing and do it ourselves!!

[blackbonie]

as someone who watches movies for enjoyment and not education, i loved blackbeard. i thought the leading actor was great, but maynard was a little wimpy.

[Rats]

I agree he was way too "cheeky" when he was first pulled out of the alley... They probably would have slit his belly right there, just for being a Wise Arse!!!

[Silver Steele]

Seems we have a few Wally-World shoppers here! I too picked this up. Needless to say, after about 15 minutes I walked out of the room as I couldn't watch it anymore. My other half did watch the whole thing. Blahhhhhhh.

[Rats]

Now don't get me wrong.... I have watched it a couple times or had it playing in the background while working on SH-tuff.

It's well worth the price I paid and I would probably watch it again, since there is worse out there!!

[Patrick Hand]

In another thread, someone said that Cutthroght Island was for sale at Wally World in the two for ten dollar ben..... My Boss had to go to Sonora to Wally World, and asked if I wanted anything, so I asked her to pick up a copy for me..... Anyway... she couldn't find it, but did find the Blackbeard miniseries....

Ok, I wasn't expecting much, and I've only watched the first part of it so far....

But hey... it's fun.....

Sure there are a lot of parts that are so historicly "jaringly inacurate" that it's pushing "suspension of beleaf".... but it's still kinda fun.....

It's not "great"..... but it's not as bad as it could have been.....

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Mr. Hand, I will check tomorrow when we go to town for the monthly supplies. If there's any left, I can snag one for ya. If it happens I'll PM you. Got lotsa stuff to mail next week when "MY SHIP COMES IN" so to speak.

Bo

[Patrick Hand]

That would be cool.... I wanna copy of Cut throught Island.... and the local Wally World don't have it.......

Dang..... I didn't know it was a bad movie...... I kinda liked it......

OK the exploding cannon balls were a bit over the top...... but heck.... it still was a fun movie........

[Patrick Hand]

Well.... I watched alla it....

Don't expect nothing but a fun movie.....

They throw historical names all over the place.....

But... Hallmark and Disney....... well nough said.....

[Tartan Jack]

Well, I got BOTH at my Walmart today.

Comments:

In the first 8 (EIGHT) minutes of Blackbeard, they have Hornigold as a MATE on BLACKBEARD'S "Queen Anne's Revenge" ship, and a mutinous one at that.

So, NOTHING is anything CLOSE to the historical Blackbeard.

It seems that "Braveheart" might be MORE accurate (not very close at ALL).

SO, cast ALL pretense of historic ties beyond throwing around names.

I'll comment again AFTER I have WATCH them both.

Also, Angus (a Scotsman) has gained A LOT of weight AND has turned Teach, of BRISTOL, into a Scotsman, brogue and all.

[Tartan Jack]

Update:

After watching, it has little to nothing to do with the HISTORIC person of Blackbeard OR the chronology of his life.. Literally, only the NAMES of SOME of the characters are historic. Even then, they are often miss-assigned to who is who in the film.

For example, Eden is the GUARDIAN of CHARLOTTE Osmond and governor of NEW PROVIDENCE. The HISTORIC Eden was governor of NORTH CAROLINA and MARY Osmond was BLACKBEARD'S wife in NORTH CAROLINA. I won't even get STARTED on the names of the pirates themselves.

I'll just say that the end has Blackbeard dying in an OPEN SEA battle on the QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE with a ship of EQUAL power (NOT a sloop).

I'd say that to compare this to Braveheart's historical accuracy is WRONG. Braveheart at least had the right NAMES for the battles and general sequence of events, even if HORRIBLY wrong. Blackbeard has NOTHING to do with historic events.

So, if you TOTALLY ignore the historic names, it really isn't THAT bad. The story is a bit convoluted and cheesy at times. However, on its own narrative and plot, it is OK as a "pirate movie."

Parts borrow from PotC, including the soundtrack and certain scenes.

My conclusion:

For a more "accurate" telling of Blackbeard, I'd say the BBC/National Geographic channel version at LEAST has Charleston, North Carolina, and SLOOPS, even if Bonnet is NO WHERE to be found. (NOW, I NEVER thought I would say THAT!

On it's own, however (IF you TOTALLY ignore NAMES and the historic PEOPLE and PLACES), the movie/mini-series isn't half bad. If they HAD NOT given it a "historic" veneer, I'd say it was "good," However, BECAUSE of that veneer, I can't really endorse it in any meaningful sense (as my historic sense demands).

So, like Mr. Hand said: Check your "history" sense out at the door and enjoy it on its own account. It is about as "accurate" as PotC, but with more mediocre writers, lower budget, more scattered acting skills/ability (some are GOOD, others are so bad its FUNNY), and a different plot (that has NOTHING to do with Teach or the GAoP).

[Patrick Hand]

So, like Mr. Hand said: Check your "history" sense out at the door and enjoy it on its own account. It is about as "accurate" as PotC, but with more mediocre writers, lower budget, more scattered acting skills/ability (some are GOOD, others are so bad its FUNNY), and a different plot (that has NOTHING to do with Teach or the GAoP).

Hey.... Hallmark......

My biggest gripe about the movie... (hey... I knew it had very little to do with History...eeergh.... Hallmark....) is why couldn't they have spent just a few more dollers and made his beard-wig, just a little bit fuller........

It is just silly fun..... but his cheap beard-wig kept throwing me off.........

I could ignore all the other bad faults........ "suspension of belef".....

I knew it was going to be just a happly rousing movie....... but his beard-wig, drove me crazy............

[William Brand]

I'm half way through it. Give me strength.

So far I find it campy and predictible.

[Silkie McDonough]

...and the costuming?

[William Brand]

...and the costuming?

Meh.

I can forgive a great many things. I can...but this thing is flat. No high points or low points. It is a flat open road through a long stretch of desert and my interest is flatlining.

[Patrick Hand]

...and the costuming?

If they couldn't afferd a full beard for Blackbeard, you know they had nothing to spend for costumes......

Lets see...... Blackbeard is a Scottsman with a scrawny beard, The costumes were borrowed from a Rev. War mini-series.... Maynard is in love with the Evil Govenor's Daughter, Shanghied, Marroned, and finaly "Saves The Day".... Everyone lives happly ever after.... well except Blackbeard, (but you already knew that...) and it was written and produced by Hallmark ....

Ignoring all that.....

It was still fun to watch

[Silkie McDonough]

HALLMARK! Enough said!

[Patrick Hand]

But for only $5.00 ..... it's worth watching....

[Tartan Jack]

...and the costuming?

If they couldn't afferd a full beard for Blackbeard, you know they had nothing to spend for costumes......

Lets see...... Blackbeard is a Scottsman with a scrawny beard, The costumes were borrowed from a Rev. War mini-series.... Maynard is in love with the Evil Govenor's Daughter, Shanghied, Marroned, and finaly "Saves The Day".... Everyone lives happly ever after.... well except Blackbeard, (but you already knew that...) and it was written and produced by Hallmark ....

Ignoring all that.....

It was still fun to watch

The soundtrack itself is an obvious "ape" of PotC, sometimes sounding "AWEFULLY" close (bad pun intended). Several of the scenes and parts of the dialogue are too.

Not terrible (except in points mentioned above), not all that good either.

Still, $5 (US). So, not bad.

I don't regret the $5 spent and 3 hours. (Now, if it had been $20 or 8 hours, it would be different.)

I will probably be using it as "background," while doing other stuff.

[blackbonie]

I knew it was going to be just a happly rousing movie....... but his beard-wig, drove me crazy............

lol. that was the one thing that bothered me also,he just looked too clean cut,and i wouldve liked to see some wicks sparking in his beard also