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Re: Luck
David Milch, the creator of Deadwood, teams up with legend director Michael Mann for this new HBO series.
It centers around a racetrack. We meet gamblers, hustlers, movers and shakers and their stories. 3 episodes in I think it looks really promising.
Use subtitles. The dialog is often very subtle and hard to hear.
Re: Luck
I watched the Pilot back in December.
Has promise.
The Michael Mann prescence was obvious. The highly stylistic, film-quality look of the TV series, present in his other shows like Miami Vice & Robbery Homicide Division is there. I think he even sampled a "Heat" music track for the build up to the race in the Pilot.
David Milch's writing is ever present also. The dialogue can be confusing, hard to hear, and the plot at times hard to follow... but it's all intentional. The show has an organic nature to it. Think Edward James Olmos 'Castillo' on Miami Vice, or Ian McShane's 'Al Swearengen' on Deadwood.
But hey...
Executive Producer - Michael Mann
Executive Producer/Creator - David Milch
Starring - Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina & Nick Nolte, with a STRONG A-list supporting cast
It's gotta be good.
Hoffman plays a VERY complex character (maybe one of the most on television), Farina's interaction with him is fantastic and the two have GREAT chemistry together. Nick Nolte's sub-dued dead-pan growl is PERFECT for his role. The supporting cast is AMAZING as well. John Ortiz, Jill Hennessy, all of the gamblers, etc.
P.S.
Noteworthy -- Dennis Farina basically recycles his mob-persona performance from his recurring role on Mann's other series, Miami Vice. I thought it looked familiar when I saw it, but Farina basically plays the role identical.
Re: Luck
I'm thinking this could be huge, in an underground way, but we'll just have to wait and see. Boardwalk Empire had a good start, but then they totally blew it, and I doubt I'll be tuning in for any continuation. It ended up feeling like a hillbilly farmer trying to present Shakespeare. Evidently, in regards to their previous Sopranos experience, working at Wal Mart does not make you Sam Walton.
"Luck" though, do have top quality in every section. Milch is a fantastic writer with a former top show under his belt, and Michael Mann is my favorite film maker. I gotta admit I'm pretty psyched.
Re: Luck
The only thing is with Mann... he's struggled to get back into the TV game since Vice ended in '89. Originally Heat was made for TV first as a pilot called "L.A. Takedown", which bombed. Mann tried another series with Don Johnson in the mid-90's, but failed to sell it to CBS, who deemed it too dark (it eventually became the basis for "Nash Bridges"). Mann tried the underrated "Robbery Homicide Division" in 2002, 2003 (can't remember), and it flopped after only a handful of episodes.
So i'm not saying it's a curse, but i'm just saying don't assume 'instant hit' with Mann anymore, especially with TV. Miami Vice was really his only TV hit, and his last two films were critical and commercial disappointments.
And I say that as Mann being my favorite director ever. Love his movies. So this is definitely "wait and see".
I just watched Episode 2 actually tonight, and the show seems to be improving, but i'm having real trouble selling it to other people. Most people have no clue what is going on, and it's a hard show to follow, and I keep telling them "ALL David Milch shows are like that. It takes time". And Milch shows are. Even Michael Mann's shows are the exact same thing. They don't spell out the story all the time, and the endings are to be assumed sometimes.
I right now am enjoying what i'm seeing, but no one seems to agree. I basically made a deal "if you still don't know what's going on, or like it by the end of the season, i'll fully admit it's a fail".
P.S.
Even though I thought Boardwalk Empire: Season 2 was an improvement on Season 1, it's obvious they have no clue what they are doing with that show. They wiped out half of the original cast at the end of Season 2, almost in an attempt to reboot it for next year to try to find their feet. It goes to show how biased and cum guzzling the Emmy's are for HBO. There's FAR FAR FAR better shows on TV than Boardwalk Empire, yet they constantly get told how great they are. The storylines are terribly confusing and overbaked most of the time. And killing Jimmy off came across as desperate.
Re: Luck
Yeah I forgot to mention...
CANCELLED
The whole "horses are dying" thing was just a front. The show was only getting 650,000 viewers a week (which was HORRENDOUS for ANY show on cable, let alone one with this kinda money and pedigree), and the show was continuing to lose more viewers each week.
It just wasn't gaining any traction. It's a shame. It was the best new show on TV this year. That's showbiz.
Re: Luck
that was a p ace opening/only season.
was a bit of a come down initially after the intense mann-infused pilot but it quickly found its rhythm. it's conclusion wasn't overly excellent (farina's great bathroom scene the obv non-gambon/hoffmann highlight) but it was highly strung & well-rounded, & primed for more of the same next yr.
so kinda like deadwood w/racehorses then.
some of it was a little tacky (ace & his grandson w/the stupid hair for one, the vet & her adopted kid/dead embryo) but by & large it was tip-top.
will be missed.
Re: Luck
HBO is fast becoming a joke. First show in years that catches my attention, and they can that too. GOT is alright, but ultimately too nerdy and shallow. Boardwalk Empire is just a mess from the guys that were lucky to work on the Sopranos and now think they're as good, killing off the best character cause it's "edgy".
Carnivale
Rome
Deadwood
Luck
RIP
Re: Luck
Oh poll, I totally agree om Boardwalk. Jimmy was the strongest, most fascinating character on the entire show... and they kill him.
And the best reason, "edgy" and it makes Nucky more evil.
Whatever... it was a fuckin' bonehead move. The show is watchable, but as spent it's first two seasons with lots of problems, although Season 2 was better than Season 1. Not sure where it goes from there without Jimmy. Might be time for the toilet.
Re: Luck
Buscemi is a great actor, but the character of Nucky is not strong enough to play the dominant anti protagonist. He can't carry a show.
The writers probably thought they were real smart when Pitt told them he couldn't commit to more than 2 seasons and they saw the opportunity to have their Pussy Bompensiero moment. It ended up being more of a Stringer Bell thing though, only without any Stanfields to replace him.
When it happened I pictured a room full of suits with tiny champagne glasses laughing and cheering their brilliance.
