after being confounded by episode 2, gf and I have decided to let this sit on the dvr until about episode 5 or 6 to see if the immersion method improves things. Good to know people are liking it though.
― Clay, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 00:12 (twelve years ago) link
MZS on Episode 3 and why should stick it out
I think he's seen the whole season though.
― encarta it (Gukbe), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 00:33 (twelve years ago) link
The most resonant scene in the episode, if you're looking for critical metaphors, is the one in which the four amigos (who name their stable 4A) go to visit Escalante, hear an itemized tutorial on what it costs to train Mon Gateau, then ask if they can get to know the animal. Escalante hands each of them a carrot and tells them how to offer it to the horse. "Keep your hand open," he warns them. The scene cuts after successive images of the four men holding out carrots and the horse regarding them warily.
^^loved this scene, especially the way it ended like that
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 00:56 (twelve years ago) link
Best thing about this episode: the promise that Joan Allen will be appearing in future ones.
― I Fucked Up (jer.fairall), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 02:24 (twelve years ago) link
dont like that the derivative kid's name is nathan israel
love that they are using the bbq @ ep's end
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 02:36 (twelve years ago) link
haha yeah that was a nice touch
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 02:37 (twelve years ago) link
Missed that.
― I Fucked Up (jer.fairall), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 02:51 (twelve years ago) link
re the horse scene and the cosmicness of horse scenes in general are a strong contrast to the pettiness of the humans, def my fav thing abt the show so far
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 03:26 (twelve years ago) link
it dawns on them that they are meeting this horse, its a living thing that they have a connection with now and they should make some sort of gesture and they all kinda lose it
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 03:27 (twelve years ago) link
overall my enjoyment of the show has been intermittent, feels a lil uneven idk
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 03:29 (twelve years ago) link
the scene w/escalante in his house w/the vet when he says you wanna do it vibed the most mannian to date, i guess he didnt direct that ep tho
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 03:32 (twelve years ago) link
otm, also i feel the symbolism of them standing with their hands open in front of an unpredictable beast after receiving a laundry list of expenses is some very cool ~foreshadowing~
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 03:56 (twelve years ago) link
yeah good point do they own the horse or does the horse... own them
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 03:58 (twelve years ago) link
i eat all your carrots i eat them up
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 03:59 (twelve years ago) link
irl lol
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 04:02 (twelve years ago) link
just imagining the horse saying that to them
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 04:08 (twelve years ago) link
what if mid-season we started hearing all the horses' inner-dialogue
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 04:17 (twelve years ago) link
in the voices of bruce willis + roseanne barr
― Mordy, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 04:18 (twelve years ago) link
lolz i had the idea that s2 should be like the movie 'racing stripes' - talking horses all the time
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 12:17 (twelve years ago) link
when I first saw the pilot I was kind of annoyed that they had a fatal breakdown so early on. like "really, they had to go there in the pilot??"
but as you watch more episodes I feel like that scene adds tension to every racing scene. you're watching these spindly legs pound the ground and wondering whether one little step is gonna take you back to that gruesome scene from the pilot. I think that's why they put it in the first episode, to show the stakes and make you feel how the trainers feel, that even when things are going great you're one little stumble away from disaster
― dmr, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
also presumably bc mann wanted the opportunity to direct the fuck out that scene and not leave it for someone to do in a later episode
― Mordy, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:27 (twelve years ago) link
the racing scenes are p intense/terrifying
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:46 (twelve years ago) link
i was thinking about how much work they must be logistically-- like three horses running close together from an aerial shot, then the same three horses in the same formation from a tracking shot, cut to a 2nd tracking shot, etc
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 17:13 (twelve years ago) link
yeah they must have to run and film each race multiple times to make the various racing "moves" happen at the right time for the narrative
like "so-and-so drops back early, is boxed along the rail, eyeballs his rival but finally pulls away" ... it's got to be really hard to make a whole bunch of horses end up with a scripted result like that
― dmr, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 17:42 (twelve years ago) link
totally-- it makes the racing scenes all the more exciting to watch imo
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 18:10 (twelve years ago) link
the other thing I like about the show is how it represents the rhythms and routines of track life, like each episode starts with people waking up, there's morning workouts, then a big crescendo for the afternoon's races -- maybe you win, maybe you lose, let's go talk it over at the bar and get ready to do it all again tomorrow
― dmr, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 18:17 (twelve years ago) link
always ends with Ace and Gus shooting the shit in Ace's bedroom
― dmr, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 18:19 (twelve years ago) link
is it just me or does it seem like no one is watching this? (not on ILX particularly, but like, out in the world). I don't really hear anyone talk about it.
I think they fucked up by having episode 2 air against the Super Bowl. I know it was already renewed and the ratings are supposed to be ok but doesn't really seem to have much buzz except among critics.
― dmr, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 18:21 (twelve years ago) link
i could def see this being not popular
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 19:38 (twelve years ago) link
btw why is ace so intent on sending this kid to annoy his enemy
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 19:40 (twelve years ago) link
and ace is kinda big shot huh he mumbles something and the bord moves $50m like nbd
I thought the kid was going to be the go-between he said he needed in episode 2.
― encarta it (Gukbe), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
refresh my memory if you dont mind
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 19:56 (twelve years ago) link
I think John From Cincinnati did a lot to derail the Milch train, tbh. Like, I loved Deadwood and I think Michael Mann is a genius, but I haven't even downloaded this yet, and that's free.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 19:58 (twelve years ago) link
interesting
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 20:00 (twelve years ago) link
so many characters on this show are hard to understand
like from one scene to the next you go from the trainer with the difficult Spanish accent (that other characters joke about not understanding), to the trainer who just mumbles shit under his breath and talks to himself, to the guy who stammers
it seems like Milch wants it to be a "thing" (the importance of getting good information vs. all these communication barriers or something)
but with all that + the racing jargon it seems like he's holding the audience at arm's length a bit and almost wants to make it as tough as possible to know wtf is going on
― dmr, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 20:02 (twelve years ago) link
We're also living in the golden age of serialized TV - even the good comedies are serialized, to a degree - and there are only so many hours in the day. My wife and I have been catching up with Community, then we want to see season two of Justified, then we (she?) wants to watch Downton Abbey. And there a whole bunch queued up after that before we can get around the Luck. There are only so many narratives we can juggle at once, I guess.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 20:03 (twelve years ago) link
well be sure and check back in once you watch it
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 20:05 (twelve years ago) link
re the difficulty in understanding wtf people r saying, it sounds like its even recorded or mixed weird, bad choice imho
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 20:06 (twelve years ago) link
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, February 14, 2012 9:58 AM (35 minutes ago)
ha i didnt watch deadwood until watching all of JFC and loving it
― ⚓ (gr8080), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 20:36 (twelve years ago) link
best horse racing scene ever filmed btw is climax of 1979 'black stallion'
watch it.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Tuesday, 14 February 2012 22:33 (twelve years ago) link
Agreed that Milch is dedicating himself to increasing the incomprehensibility with each show, and that it will probably hurt the audience - I really like the fact that I have to watch all these twice to really figure out what is up, though. (And the show's already been renewed for S2 afaik)
The Ace-Gus relationship (older married couple) seems like a more successful riff on the JfC subplot involving the hit men waiting Beckett-like in that motel and bickering - those scenes just went on forever to no real purpose, whereas the 'and how was your day, dear' codas with Ace and Gus seem really sweet emotionally and help to explain the plot.
I like how Nolte acts totally oblivious to the seething machinations of everybody around him, he's so focused on doing the right thing.
― Brakhage, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 22:45 (twelve years ago) link
The Sports Illustrated article upthread is great if you want to understand the epidemic of horse breakdowns. I went into the 3rd ep knowing a lot more than I did before I read that
― Brakhage, Tuesday, 14 February 2012 22:47 (twelve years ago) link
(And the show's already been renewed for S2 afaik)
it has, they're casting for extras at Santa Anita and start shooting at the end of the month
― dmr, Wednesday, 15 February 2012 16:07 (twelve years ago) link
hm, next ep was directed by aussie phillip noyce
ratings dont look great but i dont really know what a sunday night hbo show is expected to do, esp. starting out; plus yeah, up against super bowl, the grammies, oscars in two weeks, they cant expect big #s those weeks
feel like there probably is a small female viewing base for this just based on subject matter
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 15 February 2012 16:36 (twelve years ago) link
next ep was written by one of our (DRF's) columnists, Jay H0vdey
he's in the end credits of every ep as a staff writer but #4 he got the main credit at the opening
I guess at this point I should just fess up that I've seen the whole season (no spoilers). I was underwhelmed by episodes 2 and 3 after liking the pilot pretty well but it gets much better from here IMO.
― dmr, Wednesday, 15 February 2012 17:35 (twelve years ago) link
i dont really know what a sunday night hbo show is expected to do, esp. starting out
I don't know either but I heard it was getting clobbered by Shameless in the same time slot
I would guess HBO probably takes the long view though, everyone watches these shows on DVR and DVD anyway
― dmr, Wednesday, 15 February 2012 17:38 (twelve years ago) link
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, February 15, 2012 11:36 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yah this is a srs man show
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 15 February 2012 17:39 (twelve years ago) link
i get to go to the races in AZ next weekend, so stoked
― ⚓ (gr8080), Wednesday, 15 February 2012 19:18 (twelve years ago) link
dmr how do i find out who's running on the 26th?
this website is less than helpful: http://www.rillitodowns.com/Racing/Race_Entries_%26_Results.html
― ⚓ (gr8080), Wednesday, 15 February 2012 19:19 (twelve years ago) link