Well I skipped onto the last episode which concluded the series in a different way to the original. I'll not tell you how but personally I didn't like it much. You might-personal taste I think. It looked to me hurriedly thought out and didn't quite square with the story in the rest of the shows. Not that I didn't mind that in itself.
It's just that it gave the impression of them hearing of the series cancellation and they had to come up with a conclusion somehow. Why they didn't stay with the original story (I mean they even copied the shots and whole sections of the original) I don't know. Unless they were windy about telling a story where the hero commits suicide.
One possible alternative could have been Sam returning to 2008 and finding that a new recruit on his team was Annie's granddaughter and a dead ringer for her. The timing could be right if say for instance Annie had a child adopted when she was in College or High School. On a personal note this does happen in reality. I met my great aunt for the first time when she visited my mum's house when I came round to call one day. I could hardly tell them apart. Weird experience I can tell you. They even sounded the same.
What have I learnt by watching four samples of the US TV series craft?. I'd say that they couldn't afford the really talented writers, actors (excepting Kietel) and other creative staff. Who would be higher on Hollywood's food chain doing their stuff in the Movies. Whereas over here our best have to ply their trade in TV or take their chances and emigrate. Which on the whole is good news for us punters.
There was one flash of inspiration however. Watch out for Ray Carling who outlines his philosophy in a well written monologue near the end of the show.
Will I take the time to watch the other 10 or so eps? No.
Wednesday 29 April 2009
Sunday 26 April 2009
God is a co-star: episode 5
In this one Sam meets a Catholic Priest who revives his spiritual side. And has major hallucinations/visions in a church. Oh dear. Don't remember that in the UK version. I guess it was included so LOM US would sell in the Bible Belt and act as a sop. Since an earlier episode dealt with Gays and this one deals, well skims gently over Race equality.
Saturday 25 April 2009
Life On Mars US version episode 3
( spoilers!!!!!!)
Hippie stuff and gay bashing. With a side order of revolutionary group lead by some guy with Narcissistic Personality Disorder playing a plot Red Herring. Gene Hunt gets in touch with his gentler side and Sam Tyler spots his 4 year old counterpart in a crowd. Another ep. fairly dripping in nostalgia and all the more charming for it. Quite warming to Life On Mars Stateside Style now. A bit too much philosophising IMO but it's not me who's the intended audience so I'm prepared to put up with it.
Hippie stuff and gay bashing. With a side order of revolutionary group lead by some guy with Narcissistic Personality Disorder playing a plot Red Herring. Gene Hunt gets in touch with his gentler side and Sam Tyler spots his 4 year old counterpart in a crowd. Another ep. fairly dripping in nostalgia and all the more charming for it. Quite warming to Life On Mars Stateside Style now. A bit too much philosophising IMO but it's not me who's the intended audience so I'm prepared to put up with it.
Life On Mars US version episode 2
Getting better. The actors seem to have settled down a bit. Quite enjoying it so far. Still borrowing from the original, not a bad thing in itself, still a paler imitation but somehow more atmospheric than the original. Manchester could never be as glamourous as New York. Watch out for the scene where he meets his next door neigbour for the first time back at his apartment. They cross paths en-route to the shared bathroom and she's gorgeous and totally naked in an unselfconscious hippyish sort of way. Just wouldn't happen in Manchester.
Still poor acting by the central character. Not bad at all really. Just lacks a better script and a better Sam Tyler. Although the script does seem to be improving.
Still poor acting by the central character. Not bad at all really. Just lacks a better script and a better Sam Tyler. Although the script does seem to be improving.
Life On Mars US Version-molfluon's review of pilot #2
(Assumes a knowledge of the original shows. If you don't understand what I'm talking about lack of such may be the cause of not knowing what I'm on about.)
Vis A Vis The Original UK Version
Compared with the original it ain't as good but it isn't bad ether. The central character-Sam Tyler hasn't a good actor playing him but that's to be expected. This is Hollywood don't forget. Who nearly always choose good looking strong, silent types with little or no range of expression for their lead actors in shows like these. Surely the main thing about Life On Mars is that Sam Tyler runs the whole gamut of human emotion in the process of his adventures. If you don't have an actor who can do this in the first place then you have a problem with one who I would guess (this is a guess) has to be maced when a shot needs him to have tears in his eyes.
The exterior shots have a wealth of detail, better done than the original UK shows and are set in 1973 New York. Including of course an intact World Trade Center. How delicately or for that matter how well subsequent episodes deal with Sam Tyler's relationship with this portentous piece of architecture is something I find of interest. This alone will make me download subsequent shows.
Everything else though is a paler imitation but nonetheless it's a fairly watchable show. Which in the pilot episode plunders the original's material shamelessly and actually on occasion duplicates some of it's excitement but leaves the ironies and humour. The irony didn't surprise me but no humour? Isn't that the point of Gene Hunt. He's a thug granted but he's intelligent, fundamentally humane, ends up doing the right thing in the end and indeed is occasionally absolutely hilarious.
The scene, early on in the episode where Sam first sees the WTC was woefully beyond the actors capabilities. I was really looking forward to seeing this inevitable moment when I first heard that the second US pilot show was to be re-set in New York instead of Los Angeles. Michael J. Fox first seeing 50's Hill Valley for the first time it very sadly and very dissapointingly wasn't. This scene was the low point for me.
Annie Cartwright's character is largely unchanged and so still swims against the sexist tide. Now though she's blonde (of course) a bit better looking (of course) and has had a surname change to some indistinct variety with a single syllable beginning with "N" for some reason. Not that I wouldn't for a moment consider even the slightest possibility of not pushing the American version aside and leaping on the original if I wanted a night of passion and each were a willing volunteer that is. Cute the new shiny Annie isn't. Old Annie has that highly prized quality in abundance.
They got Gene Hunt's actor more or less right though. They got the big chequebook out and hired Harvey Keitel. Got one thing right at least. Although even he does seem to struggle at times with a much poorer script than even cynnical old I would have expected. I'm sure HK was expecting more from this too.
Vis A Vis The Original UK Version
Compared with the original it ain't as good but it isn't bad ether. The central character-Sam Tyler hasn't a good actor playing him but that's to be expected. This is Hollywood don't forget. Who nearly always choose good looking strong, silent types with little or no range of expression for their lead actors in shows like these. Surely the main thing about Life On Mars is that Sam Tyler runs the whole gamut of human emotion in the process of his adventures. If you don't have an actor who can do this in the first place then you have a problem with one who I would guess (this is a guess) has to be maced when a shot needs him to have tears in his eyes.
The exterior shots have a wealth of detail, better done than the original UK shows and are set in 1973 New York. Including of course an intact World Trade Center. How delicately or for that matter how well subsequent episodes deal with Sam Tyler's relationship with this portentous piece of architecture is something I find of interest. This alone will make me download subsequent shows.
Everything else though is a paler imitation but nonetheless it's a fairly watchable show. Which in the pilot episode plunders the original's material shamelessly and actually on occasion duplicates some of it's excitement but leaves the ironies and humour. The irony didn't surprise me but no humour? Isn't that the point of Gene Hunt. He's a thug granted but he's intelligent, fundamentally humane, ends up doing the right thing in the end and indeed is occasionally absolutely hilarious.
The scene, early on in the episode where Sam first sees the WTC was woefully beyond the actors capabilities. I was really looking forward to seeing this inevitable moment when I first heard that the second US pilot show was to be re-set in New York instead of Los Angeles. Michael J. Fox first seeing 50's Hill Valley for the first time it very sadly and very dissapointingly wasn't. This scene was the low point for me.
Annie Cartwright's character is largely unchanged and so still swims against the sexist tide. Now though she's blonde (of course) a bit better looking (of course) and has had a surname change to some indistinct variety with a single syllable beginning with "N" for some reason. Not that I wouldn't for a moment consider even the slightest possibility of not pushing the American version aside and leaping on the original if I wanted a night of passion and each were a willing volunteer that is. Cute the new shiny Annie isn't. Old Annie has that highly prized quality in abundance.
They got Gene Hunt's actor more or less right though. They got the big chequebook out and hired Harvey Keitel. Got one thing right at least. Although even he does seem to struggle at times with a much poorer script than even cynnical old I would have expected. I'm sure HK was expecting more from this too.
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