Catch-22 (Hulu)

[Hoke Moseley]

Apologies if there's already a thread... couldn't find anything.

The enemy is not the problem. For bombardier John Yossarian, serving in World War II is as much about fighting the very system that he’s caught up in as it is about fighting Germans. “It’s not that he’s scared of death, it’s that he’s scared of who decides to bestow death upon him,” says Christopher Abbott (Girls, Vox Lux), who plays Yossarian in Hulu’s upcoming Catch-22 miniseries. “He’s fully aware that death is imminent, but he doesn’t want it at the hands of this bureaucratic system.”

In writing the 1961 novel Catch-22, Joseph Heller created a look into the machinery of war by telling the story of Yossarian, his fellow fliers, and his commanding officer, the crazy Colonel Cathcart, a man who calls the shots and, in many moments, seems like Yossarian’s biggest enemy — potentially deadlier than even those trying to shoot him out of the sky. “It’s about the madness of war,” executive producer Luke Davies says of the book. “It’s also hilariously about the madness of the bureaucracy of war, which is a different matter. And it’s about the experience of powerlessness that we all have.” Those themes will carry over into the six-episode miniseries, in which Cathcart was originally going to be played by George Clooney. The ER alum, who serves as an executive producer and director on the project, ultimately decided to go for another part — he’ll play Scheisskopf — and reached out instead to Kyle Chandler for Cathcart. “My initial reaction was, ‘No, I’m not going to remake Catch-22,’” Chandler says. “But then I read it, and immediately I was intrigued. The role is not really quite like anything I’ve done before. [Cathcart’s] insane.”

It’s that insanity that surrounds Yossarian in a complex, satirical story that’s been adapted to the screen only one other time, in Mike Nichols’ 1970 film. But, as Davies puts it, “If we’re supposedly in the golden age of television, how come no one’s done an adaptation of Catch-22?” Perhaps now’s the time.

source

[CinemaScope]

A short teaser for Catch-22, I must say I think it looks very promising.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwvSj8cdS8

[movielib]

It's hard to believe there's so little interest in this here. One of my all-time favorite books. Is it a generational thing?

Mike Nichols' film was pretty good but I always thought it could be done much better with a longer running time.

Does anyone know if Hulu is going to release the six episodes on the 17th all at once or weekly, as is its wont?

[imsounoriginal]

I'm interested in this but I don't have Hulu, so I'll probably just have to wait for a Blu-ray release. I tried reading the book once a while ago and just couldn't get into it, but the cast has me interested in this.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by movielib

It's hard to believe there's so little interest in this here. One of my all-time favorite books. Is it a generational thing?

Mike Nichols' film was pretty good but I always thought it could be done much better with a longer running time.

Does anyone know if Hulu is going to release the six episodes on the 17th all at once or weekly, as is its wont?

Hulu’s releases weekly.

[movielib]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

Hulu’s releases weekly.

I know Hulu has released shows weekly ("as is its wont" as I said). I was hoping (but not very optimistic) that it would change to the Netflix model.

[version77]

I'm looking forward to this. Only read about a quarter of the book but that was good.

[Al_The_Strange]

I read the book about a year ago--at least as much as I could stand. It is a story worth telling and all, but I was not fond of the writing--so long-winded for such a simple gag and premise, and one that's repeated obnoxiously. It's the kind of thing where I actually do prefer to see it on a screen, and the 70s movie did a decent job of adapting the source.

So I caught the previews for the show and my interest is definitely piqued. It'll be the one Hulu-exclusive I will watch. It looks pretty spiffy and it might be a hoot.

[ckmoak]

This is one of my favorite novels and while I like some aspects of the Mike Nichols film, as a whole it did not, in my opinion, accurately reflect the book. I'm overwhelmingly excited for this adaptation.

As to the release--according to the blurbs on Metacritic and TVGuide, all six episodes will drop at the same time. Could be misinformation but figured I would throw it out there.

[version77]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

...and the 70s movie did a decent job of adapting the source.

I didn't realise there was already a movie of this. I'll have to have a gander. Thanks.

[movielib]

Yay, the whole series dropped today. Great that Hulu is now doing this. I hope they do it for the next season of The Handmaid's Tale too (still doubt it though).

We're going to start watching it tomorrow.

[lesco]

I've now seen this, and I think the Mike Nichols movie may get a better assessment in retrospect, at least in sticking to the surreal satire of the novel. The four-hour TV version is well made but the characters don't have the same individual presence as the movie, and most crucially, the tone of it is all wrong - they made it as a straight drama, as if they were thinking "we can't have people saying these things or behaving this way, because then it would be unbelievable", missing the absurdity of the novel which is its whole point. Having said that, there are a few dialogue sequences straight out of the book (and movie). I think the end result is that any non-readers watching this version will simply wonder what the big deal about the novel was.

[Napoleon77]

Originally Posted by lesco

I've now seen this, and I think the Mike Nichols movie may get a better assessment in retrospect, at least in sticking to the surreal satire of the novel. The four-hour TV version is well made but the characters don't have the same individual presence as the movie, and most crucially, the tone of it is all wrong - they made it as a straight drama, as if they were thinking "we can't have people saying these things or behaving this way, because then it would be unbelievable", missing the absurdity of the novel which is its whole point. Having said that, there are a few dialogue sequences straight out of the book (and movie). I think the end result is that any non-readers watching this version will simply wonder what the big deal about the novel was.

Well that is a shame. I'll still have to check this out soon and see for myself. Like you say, the absurdity is the whole point.

[SarahS]

This was a great series!

[dancerslegs]

Was not a fan of this one. As usual, Clooney's lack of imagination and resolutely-middlebrow sensibilities greatly lets down soaring source material. (Solaris, anyone?) This is a Catch-22 you can show both your elderly dad and your Gen-Z youngster without offending, or even shocking either of them. So much for the novel that inspired countless angry young people back when it was first published with its ruthlessly-maverick spirit.

The 1970 film adaptation is far from perfect, but at least retains an edge that is sorely missing in this slick Hulu version.

[CrazyBlu-RayFan]

Looks like Paramount is giving this a DVD only release.

[CinemaScope]

Originally Posted by CrazyBlu-RayFan

Looks like Paramount is giving this a DVD only release.

Just like they've done with the 1970 movie

[MikeScott]

How much is Lewis Pullman in this? It's not normally something I'd be interested in but it's one of the very few things he's in that I haven't seen. So if he's in it quite a bit I'll check it out.