Texas Rising (4 Viewers)

[ivanmoe]

I watched the first episode of Texas Rising...
it's pretty well done...
I'm gonna stick with it...
I might have expected more with all the hype in promoting it...
but still...
it was pretty good...
perhaps Episode 2 will get better...

and yes...the commercials come every 8 minutes...^&grin

Hi Mike,

Were you surprised at all by the appearance of Gonzales or Goliad? From the looks of the scenery, you'd think that the towns were in the desert. In point of fact, Gonzales gets 30 inches of rain per year and Goliad over thirty-five. The real hoot, though, was Nachadoches. That's in far East Texas and gets almost fifty inches of rain per year!{eek3} Anyway, I looked the docudrama up and learned that it was shot in Durango Mexico. That explains that.

-Moe

 

[mikemiller1955]

Hi Mike,

Were you surprised at all by the appearance of Gonzales or Goliad? From the looks of the scenery, you'd think that the towns were in the desert. In point of fact, Gonzales gets 30 inches of rain per year and Goliad over thirty-five. The real hoot, though, was Nachadoches. That's in far East Texas and gets almost fifty inches of rain per year!{eek3} Anyway, I looked the docudrama up and learned that it was shot in Durango Mexico. That explains that.

-Moe

Very good Moe...
the lack of fertile ground...
it slipped by me...
as an Austinite they didn't sneak it by you...^&grin...

in the Indian attack scene...
they fought Karankawa Indians...
which were a Gulf Coast Indian tribe...
one of the Rangers did say...
he was surprised to see them so far inland...
but that struck me as a little off...
but not impossible...

I'm no rivet counter...
I'll let almost anything go by...
but so far...
I don't think has lived up to the 2,000+ commercial advertisements they have promoted it with...
but still good...
and I'm gonna watch it tonight...^&grin...

 

[ivanmoe]

IMO, this got really sleazy this evening. I'm no prude, but I wouldn't set one of my grand-kids down to watch it in retrospect. One particularly egregious example of poor taste was a character's thoughts on French, English and Spanish women. The comments were vulgar enough that I can't repeat them here, as I'd be concerned that the forum staff would delete my post. It's pretty darn sad when folks from the entertainment industry feel compelled to mix descriptions of female genitalia and/or sexual prowess with historical narrative. Sorry for the rant, but I can't believe what's become of the USA. Were I an ISIS recruiter short on my quota of converts to the Jihad, I'd simply run daily clips of Western, contemporary media-content on its internet channels. Kids want to believe in something, something decent and uplifting, and it's awfully hard to find that sort of thing coming out of Hollywood these days.

-Moe

 

[maddadicus]

Very good Moe...
the lack of fertile ground...
it slipped by me...
as an Austinite they didn't sneak it by you...^&grin...

in the Indian attack scene...
they fought Karankawa Indians...
which were a Gulf Coast Indian tribe...
one of the Rangers did say...
he was surprised to see them so far inland...
but that struck me as a little off...
but not impossible...

I'm no rivet counter...
I'll let almost anything go by...
but so far...
I don't think has lived up to the 2,000+ commercial advertisements they have promoted it with...
but still good...
and I'm gonna watch it tonight...^&grin...

If we suspend most of our historical spider senses, this might pass as a 50's and 60's, cavalry in white kerchiefs vs white men painted up as indians kind of movie. Lots of action to keep us amused, but no legit plot or historical context. I turned it off some 20 minutes in, when the Rangers have to save the Alamo women survivors from an indian attack. I somehow missed that in my reading of the war.^&confuse History channel continues to miss the mark on their investments. IMO Michael

 

[lancer]

Still enjoying the action aspects but getting tired of the non-stop pontification by Houston. Like the Ranger group. Like Moe, I'm no prude and I can turn the air blue with the best of them, but the exchange he refers to shocked me as well, considering the media it was presented in. Lilacs, huh? I always suspected Texas was a huge burnt-over desert.:wink2::rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[Oldallamerican]

The terrain is one of the first things that hit me. I just returned from that part of Texas and have roamed all over it in the years. I've been all across Texas and have never seen craggy cliffs or rocks such as depicted. Also, the "Fort Defiance" at Goliad bore no resemblance to the actual site. I could go on. All right, they filmed it in Mexico, but couldn't they get some terrain that at least resembled Texas? All right give that a pass.

I had no idea the "Yellow Rose" was at the Alamo, or that her brother or any freedman died defending the place. Okay, I let that go.

Yes, the rescue of the survivors by the Rangers... okay, I give that a pass... Sam Houston having an affair with the "Yellow Rose" in New Orleans... okay, I give that a pass...

I was put off by the campfire conversation as well - more suitable for an R-rated theatrical film than a TV miniseries one might want his children or grandchildren to watch to at least hear the names Sam Houston, the Alamo, Santa Anna, which is about all it's good for. But by going graphic it's not even good for that now.

I guess I have to take this as having about as much historical value as many other Westerns - even if it is on the History Channel.

To my British friends, Sons of Liberty is another exercise in entertainment - if you disregard a young athletic Sam Adams leaping across Boston rooftops like Batman and the total villainization of General Thomas Gage. Not historic but a great TV villain.

 

[mikemiller1955]

they do have a disclaimer at the beginning of the show...
they also have the parental guidance movie rating at the beginning of the show...
their website says it's unsuitable for 15 and under...

the adult content pales in comparison to HBO...Showtime...TMC...etc...
in terms of violence...language...sex...nothing I have not sen before...

the campfire scene mentioned earlir...
I didn't find it as offensive...
as I found it unnecessary...
it served no purpose in the dialog or movie story...
poor script writing...

if you find this show offensive to your moral values...
you will never enjoy the brunt of Premium movie channels mentioned before...

while the show is a little bit of a letdown for me...
I will watch all upcoming episodes...

I'm not viewing it for a history lesson...
it's just entertainment to me...

 

[wds0855]

I'm not viewing it for a history lesson...
it's just entertainment to me...

I agree with Mike, I find it entertaining also. Glad to see they have the Def Smith character in it. I have not seen the entire first episode yet, but I thought overall it was enjoyable, despite scenes like the Alamo women chased by Indians.
I thought that was a tall tale. I do like the "roguh" atire of the Texians and Mexican soldados. Not sure if the Indian warpaint is accurate.

Walt

 

[ivanmoe]

I always suspected Texas was a huge burnt-over desert.:wink2::rolleyes2: -- Al

Found a picture of a lake near burnt-over Nachodoches:

That water didn't flow down from a distant glacier gentlemen. It fell from the skies.

-Moe

 

[lancer]

Found a picture of a lake near burnt-over Nachodoches:

That water didn't flow down from a distant glacier gentlemen. It fell from the skies.

-Moe

One thing for sure, Texas has seen enough water over the last few days to last it for quite a while. What a horror. -- Al

 

[ivanmoe]

the campfire scene mentioned earlir...
I didn't find it as offensive...
as I found it unnecessary...
it served no purpose in the dialog or movie story...
poor script writing...

My wife worked in television before our oldest daughter was born. She said pretty much the same thing in regards to the script. I agree with the both of you that the descriptions used in a particular scene served no earthly purpose. And it's not just a matter of sexuality. Don't know if you watched any of "Vikings," but there was plenty of sex and violence in it also. In one scene, Ragnor and Lagertha invited a somewhat apprehensive Athelstan to join in an amorous encounter. I had no problem with that, as it simply demonstraterd differences in cultural norms, the Vikings being a little more "out-there" than what you might expect from an Anglo-Saxon monk. However, "Texas Rising" really does appear to have disposed with that sort of consideration in its mingling of drama and history. I've never heard the "Q-word" used in a television docudrama, BTW.

they do have a disclaimer at the beginning of the show...
they also have the parental guidance movie rating at the beginning of the show...
their website says it's unsuitable for 15 and under...

[...]

the adult content pales in comparison to HBO...Showtime...TMC...etc...
in terms of violence...language...sex...nothing I have not sen before...if you find this show offensive to your moral values...
you will never enjoy the brunt of Premium movie channels mentioned before...

while the show is a little bit of a letdown for me...
I will watch all upcoming episodes...

I'm not viewing it for a history lesson...
it's just entertainment to me...

Mike, I don't know if you're old enough to remember the movie "Network" from the 1970s. A central theme of the movie was that providing sensational content for viewers was essential to drawing a larger audience. Part of the magic of the movie was that its creators were able to communicate a problem that's at the core of such an endeavor. Simply put, it was necessary to constantly up the ante in terms of prurience, brutality and that which could be characterized as "just plain creepy." Absent that sort of never-ending escalation in shock-value, what grabbed viewers in one episode might be old-hat by the end of the season. Fast-forward forty years, and we've ended up exactly where Peter Finch's character suggested we were headed. I state that conclusion because I see so many instances of content that's aimed squarely at shocking viewers into watching. I thought that the History Channel was something of an oasis in this regard. Apparently, I was wrong!:redface2:

As for kids, God bless 'em every one. Given the media excesses that they're exposed to on a daily basis, it's a wonder that they aren't all running around naked and brandishing a machete. Hey, though, that'd make for a great reality show..um...for adults, I mean.:wink2:

-Moe

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

I think a lot of these scenes are fill so they could make it ten hours If they made this series six or eight hours they could have left a lot of this on the cutting room floor. And who's is Ray Liotta suppose to be ?

 

[mikemiller1955]

I think a lot of these scenes are fill so they could make it ten hours If they made this series six or eight hours they could have left a lot of this on the cutting room floor. And who's is Ray Liotta suppose to be ?

he is a kook isn't he?

this is what it says on their website...

Grizzled and scarred, “Lorca” is left for dead in a smoldering mass grave at the Alamo, and emerges intent upon vengeance. A deadly and haunted survivor, he lurks nearby Santa Anna’s troops to pick off as many as he can. A juggernaut force of retribution and unbalanced by the death of his own family, he is a self-appointed Angel of Death who attacks the enemy without mercy, imbuing his enemies with supernatural fear. He brings General Houston news of the butchery at Goliad and fights by his side at San Jacinto.

 

[Warrior]

I DVR'd the first two episodes and watched them earlier today; I kept nodding off, getting carpet bombed with commercials, the dialog was slow and drawn out..................I could go on, but I got halfway through the second episode and deleted it.

I'm out.

 

[pfd119]

It's absolutely horrible! The History Channel is a joke.

Travis

 

[marco55]

I watched the first episode and haven't had a chance to watch the second one but I want to see about the rebellion after the Alamo not about that woman.I look at these shows (SOL included) for entertainment but they don't have to be totally off the mark.
Mark

 

[Warrior]

It's absolutely horrible! The History Channel is a joke.

Travis

This reminds of that total POS the History Channel showed about the Battle of Gettysburg, it was two hours long, I think Ridley Scott was involved, all the Confederates had horrible teeth and were dressed in white shirts with brown vests, they made Gettysburg look like the Australian outback, Picketts Charge was a joke, there was huge mountain behind the Union lines.

The Alamo in this Texas Rising looked awful, not sure if it was a castle or a railroal embankment, but it was terrible.

And it wasn't in the middle of a desert either like in that cheesy John Wayne version, it looked like the one in the Ron Howard version with trees around it and a village nearby.

Get it right or don't do it at all..........

 

[PanzerAce1944]

I watched the first airing as I just got home from the Texas show and was unpacking. Better than watching the Alligator gets shot and hauled off in the boat show that the History channel loves to air. True commercials were a plenty, So I guess production costs were high and this is their way
of getting some of that money back !

Wayne

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

I watched the first airing as I just got home from the Texas show and was unpacking. Better than watching the Alligator gets shot and hauled off in the boat show that the History channel loves to air. True commercials were a plenty, So I guess production costs were high and this is their way
of getting some of that money back !

Wayne[/QUOTE

What's better then watching a reality show featuring american citizens that they need to use subtitles so you can understand what they're even saying I'm hoping someone looses a body part to one of those gaitors. This show has more inbreds than a puppy mill. They should combine this show with the Moonshiners.

 

[lancer]

I watched the first airing as I just got home from the Texas show and was unpacking. Better than watching the Alligator gets shot and hauled off in the boat show that the History channel loves to air. True commercials were a plenty, So I guess production costs were high and this is their way
of getting some of that money back !

Wayne[/QUOTE

What's better then watching a reality show featuring american citizens that they need to use subtitles so you can understand what they're even saying I'm hoping someone looses a body part to one of those gaitors. This show has more inbreds than a puppy mill. They should combine this show with the Moonshiners.

No! Don't let them close to each other. They are liable to begat more of the same.{eek3} -- Al