Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 11/16/2025 11:09:52 AM PST by Drew68
"The Lost Bus" is a film directed by Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips, United 93, most of the Jason Bourne films) and tells the true story of school bus driver Kevin McKay (played by Matthew McConaughey) who rogered up to go pick up a load of kids to be evacuated from a local school during the devastating 2018 Paradise Fire, the worst in California's history.
One of those films that definitely deserved a better reception than a quick, limited theatrical release only to get dumped on Apple TV.
Seriously, one of the best, most gripping movies I've seen in a long time and I can't stop thinking about how well it was made. Several comments on the YouTube trailer I posted are from people who were there testifying that, yes, the fire was that bad.
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
I know a lot of FReepers don't like movies but for those who want a solid, gripping true-life tale of heroism, I can't recommend this one enough.
I wanted to see this x it came and went so fast I missed it
Will watch
Saw it and thought it was good.
I remember that day listening to the scanner feeds
Some non Hollywood scenes
Butte County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Parmley turned on his body-worn camera to capture what he though would be the last moments of his life. Four nurses needed help evacuating a hospital as the Camp Fire raged in Paradise, Calif
https://rumble.com/v4fig4f-body-cam-video-camp-fire-rescue-paradise-ca-nov-2018.html
Praying While Escaping The Deadly Camp Fire in Butte County CA 2018
https://rumble.com/v4e8n3f-praying-while-escaping-the-deadly-camp-fire-butte-county-ca-2018.html
Passed it over but will now check it out.
Passed it over but will now check it out.
Set in California, Yes.
But filmed in and around Ruidoso,NM during a real, major Forest Fire (arson suspected cause). The timing of which seems awfully ‘convenient’ to me in retrospect.
I didn’t realize it was a true story.
Sounds good. I enjoy his acting. I lost a customer and his wife in that fire. Good people, but too elderly to get out in time.
I’ll check if out when I get back to the house.
I couldn’t get past the first 25 minutes.
True stories of normal people doing heroic acts is becoming one of Greengrass' fortes.
I watched an interview with the bus driver who said very little dramatic liberties were taken, other than condensing events down to a two hour film. Additionally, as in many of Greengrass' other films, actual first responders who were at the Paradise Fire were used in the roles they played here.
Even Ugly Betty was good in it. Might've been her only role where she didn't totally annoy the s*** outta me.
I think it was produced by Apple, so a theatrical release was a pro forma move in order to get it on some lists for awards.
Two weeks in the theaters and then straight to Apple TV.
This happens often these days.
Yep. This makes sense.
Forgot about these rules, kinda archaic in this age of streaming at home on giant 4K TVs.
No doubt this was an Apple TV production, and they released it to the theaters, however, briefly and then brought it back to be shown exclusively on Apple.
I can’t stand greengrass’ videography. He needs a tripod.
It was good. It wore me out watching it.
“watched an interview with the bus driver who said very little dramatic liberties were taken, other than condensing events down to a two hour film”
Interesting, If you run a search on the accuracy of the movie it says the opposite......
AI Overview
The Lost Bus is dramatized to be a thrilling survival movie, with significant creative liberties taken to heighten suspense beyond the real-life events.
While the film is based on the true story of a school bus driver evacuating children during the 2018 Camp Fire, it embellishes certain aspects like high-speed chases through flames and adding fictional, intense peril to turn a harrowing ordeal into an action-thriller. The real-life situation was primarily a five-hour struggle with heavy traffic and smoke, not the dramatic scenes depicted in the movie.
Elements that are dramatized
Fictionalized action: The movie includes action sequences like driving through flames and near-misses that did not happen in reality.
Exaggerated danger: Dramatic liberties were taken to make the situation more suspenseful and create a “white-knuckle” thriller experience, rather than a purely factual retelling.
Added tension: The film adds extreme tension through scenes like a teacher leaving the bus to find water while the fire is raging, which did not occur.
Excluding characters: Some real people, such as a second teacher named Abbie Davis, were excluded from the film to simplify the narrative.
Elements that remain true to the story
Basic premise: The film is rooted in the real event where bus driver Kevin McKay evacuated 22 children and one teacher during the Camp Fire.
Location and time: The events are based on the 2018 wildfire in Paradise, California, and the subsequent five-hour evacuation.
Core characters: The main characters are based on real people, and the film attempts to honor their experiences by having actors speak with the real-life figures behind their characters.
AI Overview
AI Overview.
Well, if AI says it's fake, it must've been.
As a bit of advice, believe the movie's events if you want or don't, I don't care. But DO NOT trust these AI overviews as the truth. They're flat-out dead wrong at least half the time as they're even close to the ballpark.
And Grok is the worst. (Sorry, Elon).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.