This launches on January 29th, but the pilot was previewed last night post-Boardwalk Empire. Probably best to avoid spoilers since few likely saw it, but Mann directed the shit out of it and it’s one of Milch’s most challenging pieces of writing. So much so, in fact, I’m worried folks will be turned off. Possible neither Mann or Milch’s paramount concern is the viewer understanding exactly what is happening in a scene the first time they see it. Shades of Voigt in Heat at times - which is definitely a good thing.
Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina, Nick Nolte. Michael Gambon, Joan Allen, Ted Levine, Kevin Dunn. More. Actors from both the stables of Milch and Mann. Can’t beat it.
No doubt War Horse will be good, but Spielberg will have a tough time capturing the beauty and charisma of horses better than this show does, at least in the pilot episode.
Jesus. Hell of a show. I am in. And so many pieces moving around. Very excited to see what the season brings. And Hoffman bringing is A game. Holy crap.
And see, i was completely in it. I have been around horse racing, but not so much where I would call myself an expert. But I got everything they were talking about. Although, and why do shows like this do this, it made me want to go back to the track.
It was damn exciting seeing Hoffman act like that. I mean to really be bringing so much to it.
Did Dustin Hoffman hit the gym? He looks like he’s on roids (along with the rage) in this. It’s an embarrasing question but who is his character anyway? Someone in organized crime? He obviously took the fall for alot of folks and can’t get involved with certain deals but that’s all I got.
I love how the shoe just drops you into that world with no preparation and asks you to catch up. It’s the same thing Mann did with “Miami Vice” the movie. I imagine HBO might put together something explaining who the characters are and what the plot is. We’ll see. Right now, I’m on board due to Hoffman being on his A Game and the cast. I have faith that it will get better due to the talent behind it.
ETA: Putting down that horse was one of the most painful scenes I’ve seen on TV. Was there some CGI used to keep the horse’s eye open like that?
Very good show. The cinematography during the horse riding scenes is terrific. Will be interesting to see if the show can build an audience. I’m in for the duration.
Surprised how few people seem to have watched this or be talking about it. I figured this one would be on everyone’s mind with all the talent around it.
I think it flew under the radar for a lot of folks. The ratings were disappointing - it lost much of BE’s audience - but I doubt this will ever be a huge ratings winner. Luck makes Boardwalk Empire seem middle of the road fare.
I commented in an older thread that got resurrected briefly. Thought this was fantastic; it’s by far my most anticipated new show coming, and the pilot lived up.
I said this on Facebook: Maybe it’s because he’s been out of the game for a while, and maybe it’s because, in his absence, we got guys like Terrence Winter, Vince Gilligan, Matthew Weiner, and Beniof/Weiss all stepping up to one degree or another, but man, I forgot just how superior David Milch is, to, well, everyone. He’s playing all-time ball; many of these guys are probably content to craft the best TV show they can make. Milch wants to make something that stands alongside the great works of literature. There’s him, and then there’s everyone else.
I skipped the preview weekend. I didn’t want to wait a few months for the second episode. Lost isn’t the right word…I would use very intrigued. This is how Mann makes his movies, and Milch plays long ball, so I got what I expected. Exceedingly well-directed, as expected for the pilot. The cast is unifomrly exceptional, though it appears we will be working out motivations, intrigue, and relationships through the season.
I’m fine with that. Hope it did well in the ratings. Slow burn doesn’t work like it used to for many folks.
I caught the preview, but thanks to my faulty memory, rewatching over the weekend reminded me how good this was. It’s literally Milch meets Mann, with everything that implies. I find it funny how Mann’s taste in music seemed to stop evolving around the time Audioslave got together. The backing music all fit around that time period, with the subdued cues sounding like Sarah McClachlan backing tracks.
It’s so nice to hear Milch’s writing again; There’s a moment where the horse trainer played by Ortiz alludes to Porky Pig when he’s dressing down the jockey, and only later do you realize that he’s referring to Richard Kind’s stuttering character. A joke is introduced, and you don’t even realize it was a joke until 20 minutes later.
Also, I’m not sure where I read this, but someone made the point that Dustin Hoffman on this show looks exactly like Ric Flair does now.