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Watch, Watched, Watching: The Prequel


Ramsay B.

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19 hours ago, Nictarion said:

And season two of Justified has one of the greatest characters from any show ever in Mags Bennett. ;)

Justified's season 2 is pure television gold.

But -- perhaps I am a distinct minority but if there were really flaws in Justified's first season, they didn't appear to me.  I was completely hooked from the first scene of the first episode.  Partly it was the location, partly it was Oliphant and the writing. In no small part the entire ensemble cast, which was already sparkling to a degree in that very first episode and got better throughout -- and then just turned into a diamond prism of ensemble characters - cast.

I recall reading that Crowder was not even going to be used as much as he was in the first season, but right away that character ran away with the audience.

The biggest change to my eyes anyway between the first season and the later ones, is that the camera people - direction kept getting more adventurous and innovative all the time, without, of course, ever leaving behind a typical viewer's trained expectations of how a television show should move and act.  Of course, I've never watched Justified on a television, so maybe it looks different for those viewers than for me who watched each season from beginning to end within a few days, and then re-watched all them, back-to-back (though interspersed with other things).

 

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1 hour ago, Zorral said:

I recall reading that Crowder was not even going to be used as much as he was in the first season, but right away that character ran away with the audience.

My recall is that Crowder was suppose to be killed off that first or second episode.  The producers loved him too much to let him go.

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1 hour ago, Zorral said:

Justified's season 2 is pure television gold.

But -- perhaps I am a distinct minority but if there were really flaws in Justified's first season, they didn't appear to me.  I was completely hooked from the first scene of the first episode.  Partly it was the location, partly it was Oliphant and the writing. In no small part the entire ensemble cast, which was already sparkling to a degree in that very first episode and got better throughout -- and then just turned into a diamond prism of ensemble characters - cast.

I recall reading that Crowder was not even going to be used as much as he was in the first season, but right away that character ran away with the audience.

The biggest change to my eyes anyway between the first season and the later ones, is that the camera people - direction kept getting more adventurous and innovative all the time, without, of course, ever leaving behind a typical viewer's trained expectations of how a television show should move and act.  Of course, I've never watched Justified on a television, so maybe it looks different for those viewers than for me who watched each season from beginning to end within a few days, and then re-watched all them, back-to-back (though interspersed with other things).

 

I liked the first season a lot and the show hooked me from the start, but at the same time I can see a marked increase in quality from season one to season two.  It's just a better season of TV.

I can see why some might be put off by season one, though.  It's basically a procedural for the first half of the season.

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58 minutes ago, SpaceChampion said:

My recall is that Crowder was suppose to be killed off that first or second episode.  The producers loved him too much to let him go.

I think it was the end of the first season when he was supposed to die.  Every time Justified comes up in these thread I really want to do a rewatch.  If only I had the time...

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40 minutes ago, RedEyedGhost said:

I think it was the end of the first season when he was supposed to die.  Every time Justified comes up in these thread I really want to do a rewatch.  If only I had the time...

It was the end of the first episode.  He wasn't supposed to survive when he got shot.  Pretty sure that's how the short story the series is based on ends...with Boyd's death.

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32 minutes ago, briantw said:

It was the end of the first episode.  He wasn't supposed to survive when he got shot.  Pretty sure that's how the short story the series is based on ends...with Boyd's death.

This is true.

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On 6/3/2018 at 12:37 PM, Triskele said:

Somewhat curious about Succession which debuts tonight on HBO.  The previews only do so much for me, but it's Bryan Cox in an hourlong HBO drama, so there's sure potential there.  

What did you think? I thought it was decent enough and will probably watch the next episode. I kinda wish there was more Cox in this one(pun intended), and all of the main characters are just as unlikable as I thought they’d be too. But it is about a bunch of rich, spoiled family members vying for power so them stabbing each other in the backs could be entertaining for a bit. I doubt I’ll last the whole season though. 

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Scorsese's films only improve as time goes on.  I was thinking of that constantly while watching The Departed (2006) with a friend  on netflix last night.  I'd seen in the theater when it came out, which is now, woo -- 12 years ago.  But it seems a lot longer ago than that now, in this post agent orange world.

Yet his films remain fresh, even as they visibly age.  One of the big reasons has to be that whoever does his casting is brilliant.  And the director was able to even rein in Jack Nicholson, doing his very best to reprise his 1999 Batman role as the Joker -- and just frackin' awful (or so it seemed to me), but this time playing the Joker as Marlon Brando in The Godfather would have done

The Departed has just one really good actor of another, even in small roles -- except for the women, who, let's face it, barely exist other than to show us something about the characters he's interested in -- bad cop has performance failure with the girlfriend, the good cop does not have those failures with that same woman, which shows who is genuine and who is not, or something, as just one instance.  This may explain why they made such a terrible error casting Winona Ryder in Age of Innocence.  They weren't used to females having important things to do in Scorsese's film.  Age of Innocence rises or falls by the grace of the female characters, and Ryder wasn't up to it -- though everyone else was -- marring what otherwise was yet another great entry in Scorsese's history of New York City in the movies.

 

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54 minutes ago, Zorral said:

 I was thinking of that constantly while watching The Departed (2006) with a friend  on netflix last night.  I'd seen in the theater when it came out, which is now, woo -- 12 years ago. 

 

I was like 14 or 15 when I saw it in theater but still of my most memorable experiences at the movies.

I’ll never forget when Costigan got shot in the elevator the entire sold out room gasped, was a great moment

 

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On 6/5/2018 at 3:09 PM, briantw said:

I can see why some might be put off by season one, though.  It's basically a procedural for the first half of the season.

Yes, it’s the generic procedural/story-of-the-week rhythm that has held it back so far.  Not that it’s bad so far, just not very gripping.

The characters and setting are good, and there’s some good offbeat humor and nice chemistry between characters (especially Rayland and his boss and Rayland and what’s-her-name), and it captures a definite flavor/texture that works well.  

But the random villain scenario each week — the loan shark informer, Rayland’s dad grifting a drug dealer, the escapee on the run, the trophy wife killing her husband, the convict taking hostages — all get neatly wrapped up at the end of each episode.  There’s no reason to care.  I know whatever problem turns up next week will get tidied up by Rayland in exactly 45 minutes with him being mildly heroic and occasionally lethal.  It needs a larger arc and some depth to other characters.  

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1 minute ago, Iskaral Pust said:

Yes, it’s the generic procedural/story-of-the-week rhythm that has held it back so far.  Not that it’s bad so far, just not very gripping.

The characters and setting are good, and there’s some good offbeat humor and nice chemistry between characters (especially Rayland and his boss and Rayland and what’s-her-name), and it captures a definite flavor/texture that works well.  

But the random villain scenario each week — the loan shark informer, Rayland’s dad grifting a drug dealer, the escapee on the run, the trophy wife killing her husband, the convict taking hostages — all get neatly wrapped up at the end of each episode.  There’s no reason to care.  I know whatever problem turns up next week will get tidied up by Rayland in exactly 45 minutes with him being mildly heroic and occasionally lethal.  It needs a larger arc and some depth to other characters.  

Yeah, they fix most of that in season two and beyond as it becomes more serialized.  They still do cases of the week, but there's a greater plot that's always being pushed forward each episode as well.

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55 minutes ago, Iskaral Pust said:

Yes, it’s the generic procedural/story-of-the-week rhythm that has held it back so far.  Not that it’s bad so far, just not very gripping.

The characters and setting are good, and there’s some good offbeat humor and nice chemistry between characters (especially Rayland and his boss and Rayland and what’s-her-name), and it captures a definite flavor/texture that works well.  

But the random villain scenario each week — the loan shark informer, Rayland’s dad grifting a drug dealer, the escapee on the run, the trophy wife killing her husband, the convict taking hostages — all get neatly wrapped up at the end of each episode.  There’s no reason to care.  I know whatever problem turns up next week will get tidied up by Rayland in exactly 45 minutes with him being mildly heroic and occasionally lethal.  It needs a larger arc and some depth to other characters.  

Katherine LaNasa is gorgeous! Loved her as Lizzie Ambrose in Longmire as well. Speaking of which, I feel Justified and Longmire both evolved into a great blend of the episodic procedural and overarching storyline we are more familiar with in television now. It also doesn't hurt having Elmore Leonard contributing.

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5 hours ago, Mark Antony said:

I was like 14 or 15 when I saw it in theater but still of my most memorable experiences at the movies.

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I’ll never forget when Costigan got shot in the elevator the entire sold out room gasped, was a great moment

 



There are many great things about The Departed, especially Marky Mark, but I've still never got over how badly it wet itself when trying to improve on the twist and ending of the original.

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13 hours ago, Iskaral Pust said:

Yes, it’s the generic procedural/story-of-the-week rhythm that has held it back so far.  Not that it’s bad so far, just not very gripping.

The characters and setting are good, and there’s some good offbeat humor and nice chemistry between characters (especially Rayland and his boss and Rayland and what’s-her-name), and it captures a definite flavor/texture that works well.  

But the random villain scenario each week — the loan shark informer, Rayland’s dad grifting a drug dealer, the escapee on the run, the trophy wife killing her husband, the convict taking hostages — all get neatly wrapped up at the end of each episode.  There’s no reason to care.  I know whatever problem turns up next week will get tidied up by Rayland in exactly 45 minutes with him being mildly heroic and occasionally lethal.  It needs a larger arc and some depth to other characters.  

Nevertheless, these characters are well-played, interesting.  I particularly loved the loan shark, enjoying every bit of his time on screen -- and not least, recalling him as the feckless boyfriend / husband of Miranda in Sex in the City.  He was effective and so different playing this character.  None of that bothered me then.

Nevertheless, anything to do with Rayland's family and particularly his father is essential in this season, remains meaningful throughout the seasons.

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7 hours ago, Cas Stark said:

Has anyone seen Hereditary, the horror film that is getting so much buzz?

Chris Stuckmann seems to have been absolutely blown away by it.

I haven’t seen this much hype since The Witch (which ended up disappointing me). Hope this one lives up to all the buzz. 

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37 minutes ago, Nictarion said:

Chris Stuckmann seems to have been absolutely blown away by it.

I haven’t seen this much hype since The Witch (which ended up disappointing me). Hope this one lives up to all the buzz. 

Yeah, it's getting incredible reviews.  But so have a lot of not that great movies gotten in the last few years.  

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I’m seeing Hereditary tomorrow at 1:30. All the hype is exciting but it makes me a little nervous at the same time. I’ve also been looking forward to this for a while so I have to rein in my expectations a little.

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4 minutes ago, Ramsay B. said:

I’m seeing Hereditary tomorrow at 1:30. All the hype is exciting but it makes me a little nervous at the same time. I’ve also been looking forward to this for a while so I have to rein in my expectations a little.

Yeah, I'm seeing it compared to The Exorcist....but I am super jaded by reviews.  Everyone said The Conjuring was scary?  Like what? 

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