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Post by Bob on Apr 25, 2020 19:53:35 GMT
Love them!
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Post by Bob on Apr 25, 2020 19:53:52 GMT
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Post by Bob on Apr 26, 2020 12:49:58 GMT
First impressions - no spoilers. I am very impressed with the first three episodes. It lived up to my expectations and actually went beyond them. It could be Chris's best work - it's certainly up there in the premier league of performances. I was stunned by Jaeden Martell. He's absolutely superb. I understand what Chris meant when he said he thought he was improvising during the audition. It's that kind of natural performance. Michelle Dockery again is fantastic and dragged my heart out my chest a couple of times. The three of them together are pretty well perfect. I thought the pace was just right. I'm not sure what some of the reviewers meant when they said there wasn't enough material. Maybe that will apply later on but certainly not to what I've seen so far. For those of you who've seen any of the Nordic Noir TV series that were mentioned in a twitter exchange I can definitely see the influence of the Norwegian director in this respect. There are a few aspects that remind me of some of the Nordic series we've had on TV in Europe. We've just had another one on BBC4 that actually finished this weekend Twin from Norway. It took me a while to get into it but I loved it by the end. Anyway, the music, the lighting, the colours, the pace, the style of acting etc are all things that had a Nordic feel to them successfully transposed to the USA. The thing that really struck me was when the writer was saying it was a crime series but focussed on what was going on in the family. If anyone saw the original Danish series of ' The Killing' on TV you'll see a connection. It was I think the first Nordic crime series that really took off over here. The thing that made it so popular was that it was a real murder mystery that kept you guessing till the end but really focussed on the effect the murder had on the family, their relationships and their development. The murder mystery was almost a thread running through the story in the background. I can see the same thing going on in DJ. Cultural note. It really hits me as an outsider how heavy handed the police are in the USA. In the 'take your brain out' cops and robbers series the violence kinds of washes over you but in a more realistic drama like this you actually notice more what the police are actually doing because it seems more real. Three cars and about 10 officers to arrest a 14 year old is baffling. And I also checked what the rules are in the UK for putting handcuffs on a suspect and having read this document I think I can safely say an unarmed 14 year old would never be handcuffed over here. It's another effect of the gun culture I presume that if the police know there are millions of armed people out there the police force ends up being like a paramilitary force.
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Post by gwendolynmstacy on Apr 26, 2020 12:56:48 GMT
I’m confused about the material comment — have none of them read or know about the book?
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Post by Bob on Apr 26, 2020 13:52:24 GMT
From the Philippines. Thanks to gwendolynmstacy for flagging this one up. www.gmanetwork.com/news/showbiz/chikaminute/735503/fil-am-girl-sings-bahay-kubo-and-sends-message-to-primo-arellano/story/Where are you calling from and how are you coping in this new lockdown?I am actually back in Massachusetts, that is where I am from and that is where I spend the majority of my time and I just wanted to be closer to my family. It’s unprecedented times and I think everyone is trying to navigate these unchartered waters together and I think it certainly is scary and it’s certainly unsettling to think about what the future may hold. So I guess I just feel very lucky and fortunate that I am around people I love and just trying to stay united during this, like I said, it’s scary times. What kind of things are you doing during these days? Are you watching a lot of TV?No, it’s pretty much a similar habit that I would normally do. I am pretty much a homebody anyway, I don’t go out much as it is. I suppose there’s a lot more time to kind of kick around the house now, it can lead to being a little stir crazy. But a lot of reading, a lot of time with my dog. How has this pandemic affected you on a professional level?There are a few projects on hold, everything is on hold right now. So yeah there were a few projects that I had kind of lined up and everything will now have to be shifted a bit I suppose. But not in a major way, I wasn’t in production or anything and there wasn’t any start date on anything that had to be pushed. This was all still in the early stages. Do you see yourself working out more often or maybe less because we can’t go out as often anymore?I certainly feel more active. My sleep pattern is much more regular, I am usually in bed by 9:30pm and I am up at 7am and it just feels very quotidian and even a little monastic. You can be a little bit more deliberate when the day is encumbered with responsibility. You can take your time with things a little bit more and as a result I think that actually has a little bit of a healthier vibration and rhythm to it than a constant breakneck speed. How much did you enjoy playing Andy Barber? You play a lawyer, a father, a husband? Did you identify with him?It was fun to play him just because I really enjoyed playing a father. I have a wonderful relationship with my father and I like exploring that depth of love. I think whether that depth of love comes with a husband and a wife or a father and a son or an animal and their owner, any sort of, the willingness to show how far we are willing to go with people based on that love and that connection. I think one of the scariest things is when that love is predicated on an understanding of who you think someone is. But to have that foundation rocked when you have spent so much time on this and as I said earlier, this isn’t something that you can just walk away from, it’s your family, it’s a part of you. And you are forced to wade through the swamp to find out if this is salvageable and this is something that you kind of not only lie to yourself about, but lie to the people you love about. You have not been doing television for 20 years and here you are now with a magnificent show. Can you talk about your coming back to television?Some of the most captivating, exciting material is coming out of TV and all these streaming services popping up everywhere and there are a lot of really wonderfully creative people taking a lot of fun risks and making a lot of great work. So I think those lines are blurred and it doesn’t feel very different to me to traverse between film or television. And this project just came along and it was more about wanting to work with people that I had sat down with. I met with Mark Bomback (the creator) and Morten Tyldum (the director) and they were just incredibly thoughtful in the material and Mark is such a wonderful writer and Morten has such a clear vision. And Morten was going to direct all eight episodes which I loved, the kind of unity of vision and a singular voice. And it was just timing really. What does this period which is both traumatic and different teach you?It’s such a scary time and it’s so easy to get lost in your thoughts and let those thoughts really create a certain level of anxiety. But for me, it’s been about, I think we all have a little bit more stillness in our life right now and I think leaning into that stillness, maybe surrendering a little bit to it and kind of in this time of pause, maybe try and ju-jitsu that a little bit and try to make that an asset, begin to cultivate that stillness as a daily practice. And I think it’s one of the most effective ways to combat the anxiety, but certainly an effective tool to add to your repertoire as you move forward in life. Because the thoughts will always from time to time, start galloping and it’s really nice when that happens to kind of ease it down to a trot by remembering the stillness. — LA, GMA News
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Post by capsbestgirl on Apr 26, 2020 20:39:10 GMT
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Post by Bob on Apr 27, 2020 9:27:32 GMT
I’m confused about the material comment — have none of them read or know about the book? All the reviews I've read are positive but someone pointed out the other day that it's only got 52% on Rotten Tomatoes (not that I have much respect for them). A quick scan through the 'not enough material' comments actually reminds me of the attitude of Weinstein towards Snow Piercer. They presume the audience is completely moronic and needs fast action and not too much to think about. The pace and feel of DJ is presuming the viewers are mature and have functioning brains. Some of those reviewers watch so much crap they've lowered their attention span. If they say there's 'too much padding' I hear someone saying 'just tell me who did it I don't want to know about them as real people'. Film critics are a funny breed. They can do such a great job sometimes but when they're negative I always have this feeling of a vulture feeding off a carcass. It's making money and promoting their career by shitting on the work of artists without whom they would have no career at all. This is one of those paradoxes.
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Post by taraneh on Apr 27, 2020 18:15:29 GMT
I’m confused about the material comment — have none of them read or know about the book? All the reviews I've read are positive but someone pointed out the other day that it's only got 52% on Rotten Tomatoes (not that I have much respect for them). A quick scan through the 'not enough material' comments actually reminds me of the attitude of Weinstein towards Snow Piercer. They presume the audience are completely moronic and need fast action and not too much they have to think about. The pace and feel of DJ is presuming the viewers are mature and have functioning brains. Some of those reviewers watch so much crap they've lowered their attention span. If they say there's 'too much padding' I hear someone saying 'just tell me who did it I don't want to know about them as real people'. Film critics are a funny breed. They can do such a great job sometimes but when they're negative I always have this feeling of a vulture feeding off a carcass. It's making money and promoting their career by shitting on the work of artists without whom they would have no career at all. This is one of those paradoxes. I really appreciate this comment and I think you are absolutely right. Almost 95% of the comments I have read about DJ in every social platform(Twitter,Instagram,YouTube,Google reviews) are very positive and people have given very high scores on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes and still some critics think the "material" is not enough.There are great performances,character based family drama,awesome cinematography,great background music and a gripping crime story that would keep you on the edge of your seat. I mean what more do you need from a mini series? It has actually the quality of a good movie and personally I'm loving the dark theme and noir feelings. Film critics are a funny breed indeed.
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Post by Bob on Apr 27, 2020 18:38:07 GMT
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Post by gwendolynmstacy on Apr 27, 2020 20:44:42 GMT
I’m confused about the material comment — have none of them read or know about the book? All the reviews I've read are positive but someone pointed out the other day that it's only got 52% on Rotten Tomatoes (not that I have much respect for them). A quick scan through the 'not enough material' comments actually reminds me of the attitude of Weinstein towards Snow Piercer. They presume the audience is completely moronic and needs fast action and not too much to think about. The pace and feel of DJ is presuming the viewers are mature and have functioning brains. Some of those reviewers watch so much crap they've lowered their attention span. If they say there's 'too much padding' I hear someone saying 'just tell me who did it I don't want to know about them as real people'. Film critics are a funny breed. They can do such a great job sometimes but when they're negative I always have this feeling of a vulture feeding off a carcass. It's making money and promoting their career by shitting on the work of artists without whom they would have no career at all. This is one of those paradoxes. The weird thing is if I had their job I’d at least want to see how the adaption process differs but they don’t seem interested they just seem like they’re interested in picking at it regardless of source
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Post by Fan on Apr 27, 2020 20:53:52 GMT
"Everything is Cool"
J.K. Simmons
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Post by Fan on Apr 28, 2020 9:11:50 GMT
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Post by Bob on Apr 28, 2020 23:35:57 GMT
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Post by Picap on Apr 29, 2020 0:02:10 GMT
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Post by olivia52 on Apr 29, 2020 1:30:31 GMT
Thank you for the photos, interviews (print and video). I watched the first three episodes not really knowing what I was getting into, I have not read the book. The music, the dynamics of the family and community sucked me in.
I really felt the emotions of these characters were spot on. As a mother, I could feel every emotion of Michelle's character. Jaeden's performance was amazing. Spot on 14 year old boy and yet there is this under current.
I loved how I went through the emotions of yes, he did it, to no, it's the pedifile, to wondering about his "friends". When the mom's friend brings dinner and then tells her she can't see her again, the whole scene there was just so realistic.
I am loving the heck out of this series!!
Chris is really shining in this role. I agree to what was said above about how this may possibly be his best work.
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