4,180 posts
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 3, 2020 9:59:19 GMT
Anybody watched it? I'm 5 episodes in so far and loving it. Patti and Jim Parsons are sensational. Plenty of people for us stagey folks to recognise and enjoy  |
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8,163 posts
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Post by alece10 on May 3, 2020 10:09:57 GMT
Just about to start it.
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4,180 posts
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 3, 2020 20:01:47 GMT
I finished the season tonight. Is it a bit absurd? But i bloody loved it. Fave series for a while, it really takes something to hook me into a series, i rarely can get into them. TV isn't that big of a draw for me anymore and i have a short attention span but i finished this tonight completely invested and wanting the very well set up 2nd season straight away.
The only thing i'd say is that those last two episodes were a bit on the time jumpy side and resulted in a lot of things seemingly being out the blue and you didn't know how they got to that point, like there should have maybe been an extra couple of eps so they could have fleshed all that out, but that's probably just me wanting more!
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2020 22:28:40 GMT
I enjoyed this, but I’m not sure it really knew what it was. It jumps all over the place, and after seeing the trailer the prostitution storyline that dominated the first few episodes was not what I expected! The ending was a little too neat too, which makes me wonder where they can take it next.
The cast were fantastic though, especially the guys that played Jack and Rock. Patti was brilliant too, possibly the standout performance for me - more than once she stole a scene. I think the only casting misstep was Queen Latifah as Hattie McDaniel but it was only a tiny part really.
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Post by oxfordsimon on May 6, 2020 8:42:47 GMT
Patti is clearly having the time of her life. It is a bit heavy handed with the messaging - but we should expect that.
Murphy is still reluctant to show gay sex in the same way he portrays straight encounters. Given that this is a US project, we ought not to be too surprised at that - but Netflix are not normally too squeamish...
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215 posts
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Post by frosty on May 6, 2020 9:19:57 GMT
I loved the first few episodes, thought it was all beautifully shot and lavish. But I read a review somewhere saying that it almost dislocates a shoulder with all the patting itself on the back it does in the last couple of eps, and I couldn't agree more! I know it's supposed to be an alternative history, but it did stretch that a bit too far.
{Spoiler - click to view}
The idea that a black gay man and a white gay man would be able to walk the red carpet together and kiss and there would only be a few boos (and this is at a time when it is illegal to be gay) was ridiculous. Also, including an interracial relationship in the movie would never have happened in that day and age...and when they said that after the movie was released, it was so good that the racist protests 'just melted away' was also ludicrous!!
Shame, it was a great premise and subject to explore. Also, what went on at the gas station was true, and Ernie was based on a real person - Scotty Bowers. The 'Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood' documentary gives all the juicy details - I think it was on Netflix, not sure if it's still there. Another documentary about that time and what the closeted gay actors had to go through is 'Tab Hunter Confidential', that was also on Netflix. They're both worth a watch to give some background to the TV series...and show why the last 2 episodes didn't quite work....
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4,180 posts
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 6, 2020 9:26:12 GMT
I enjoyed this, but I’m not sure it really knew what it was. It jumps all over the place, and after seeing the trailer the prostitution storyline that dominated the first few episodes was not what I expected! The ending was a little too neat too, which makes me wonder where they can take it next. The cast were fantastic though, especially the guys that played Jack and Rock. Patti was brilliant too, possibly the standout performance for me - more than once she stole a scene. I think the only casting misstep was Queen Latifah as Hattie McDaniel but it was only a tiny part really. I read an interview with a couple of the actors yesterday where they said that the original scripts were absolutely explicit in terms of sex scenes and there were originally a lot of full frontal nudity scenes, in which the actors had to go to prosthetic fittings for! So clearly a lot of stuff was cut from the scripts by the time they actually filmed the show. I don't know if this extended to any gay scenes. |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2020 12:24:36 GMT
I loved the first few episodes, thought it was all beautifully shot and lavish. But I read a review somewhere saying that it almost dislocates a shoulder with all the patting itself on the back it does in the last couple of eps, and I couldn't agree more! I know it's supposed to be an alternative history, but it did stretch that a bit too far.
{Spoiler - click to view}
The idea that a black gay man and a white gay man would be able to walk the red carpet together and kiss and there would only be a few boos (and this is at a time when it is illegal to be gay) was ridiculous. Also, including an interracial relationship in the movie would never have happened in that day and age...and when they said that after the movie was released, it was so good that the racist protests 'just melted away' was also ludicrous!!
Shame, it was a great premise and subject to explore. Also, what went on at the gas station was true, and Ernie was based on a real person - Scotty Bowers. The 'Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood' documentary gives all the juicy details - I think it was on Netflix, not sure if it's still there. Another documentary about that time and what the closeted gay actors had to go through is 'Tab Hunter Confidential', that was also on Netflix. They're both worth a watch to give some background to the TV series...and show why the last 2 episodes didn't quite work....
I had wondered if the gas station was real. I know things went on in Hollywood but in the end decided it made more narrative sense (to me at least) if it was a gender flip commentary on the things women had to do to survive and make it (which sits nicely alongside the other issues they addressed). I’ve also decide the ending at the Oscars was basically the same as the ending for Glee. |
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Post by intoanewlife on May 6, 2020 15:44:30 GMT
I had major problems with this which is a shame because I think the idea behind it could've actually been made into a really good serious 'what if' kind of series. Considering the power Hollywood had at that point and the supposed 'progressive' people in the industry, it could've made for something really compelling.
Unfortunately however it was Ryan Murphy who had the idea, so we get his usual hyper sexualised, badly written tripefest with a few nice performances.
I could forgive the constant bonking and horrible people up to the end of Episode 5 and was actually enjoying it despite the stupidity. But the last 2 Eps were so dumb and the writing so terrible and forced it derailed the whole thing for me.
If they'd have made it 6 Eps, lost the whole 'pay for scaffolding' storyline, the new love story and done the Oscars as a montage of wins...'The End' I would have liked it 100 times more.
It suffered from what every series of AHS suffers from, creating new storylines when it's all over just to make up some time.
From a man who has the power and freedom to make whatever the hell he likes, Murphy's decent continues which is a shame as I thought both the Versace and Feud series were both fantastic and the best work he has ever done.
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2,024 posts
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Post by distantcousin on May 6, 2020 21:28:40 GMT
It's alright. A bit too trashy for me. Lacks gravitas to truly retain my attention.
It has it's moments but super glossy, hyper-real stuff doesn't do it for me.
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19,797 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 24, 2020 21:09:33 GMT
I binged and really enjoyed this. But my eyebrows were so far up my forehead at the end...
Ryan Murphy’s wet dream. Good for him. I went along for the ride.
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8,163 posts
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Post by alece10 on May 25, 2020 1:40:55 GMT
I really enjoyed this and have now ordered the book that the series was based on.
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Post by danb on Jun 2, 2020 11:31:21 GMT
Like most fictional tv series these days, the opening episodes were great, set up an interesting premise and then they tie themselves up in knots coming up with a satisfying ending. It did seem a little apologetic at times in comparison to some of his other fuller blooded stuff.
It didn’t help that I was watching it at the same time as ‘Normal People’ which had me rapt from start to finish. Real trumps ‘gloss’ every time for me and they were much nicer people than Murphy's gaudy stereotypes.
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Post by d'James on Jun 4, 2020 1:02:05 GMT
I loved the first five episodes but the final two ruined it for me. Way too quick. I think they could/should have spread the stories in those two episodes out for series two. Maybe they didn’t want to risk it in case they didn’t get recommissioned but as I said it was just too much.
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