Deadwood

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mongoII
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Post by mongoII »

Although the settings of the old west is dead-on, I couldn't stand this show nor the lead actor (which means his performance was most likely good enough).
Once the scruffy looking Calamity Jane began spewing the CS word, I was out of there.
Alas, I longed for Doris Day.
Joseph Goodheart
stuart.uk
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Post by stuart.uk »

Anne

Little Joe in Bonanza married twice. wife number one died within days of the wedding. leaving Joe and Candy tracking her killers. Then, both he and his 2nd wife had died, leaving a grown up son and daughter as the next generation of Cartwright's in the 90s tv movies. Hoss died young not knowing he fathered a son and JC came from Austraila to the home of his father Adam
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Thanks stuart:

I never watched the second generation Bonanza, my kids did, but they had no idea who the fathers were because they never saw the original.

Anne
Anne


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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

I watched the first two hours of "Deadwood" yesterday. First, I'll agree that this show brings the "art" of cussing to a new level. If they had left out some of the words the show would have been ten minutes shorter. But you all already know that.

In the midst of all that is a fairly interesting beginning. A lot of smart people trying to out-smart smart each other. I'm not sure why McShane's character is so worried about hiding everything. In a town where he, so far, clearly carries the biggest stick he would hardly seem to worry about the sudden departure of the hotel guests and where they end up. Has there been a less appealing woman than Calamity Jane?

Somehow being nasty sounds better with an English accent. We'll see how it goes.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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charliechaplinfan
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Post by charliechaplinfan »

My husband loves Deadwood and insisted I watched it with him. It took me an episode or so to get into it but I liked it. This from someone who doesn't really watch Westerns.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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movieman1957
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Re: Deadwood

Post by movieman1957 »

Finally got through the whole series. It's a very smart show. Gerald MacRaney was a revelation. He's good at being nasty. I thought the last two episodes were among the best. Some of the others took some work to keep up on.

The one thing that bothered me a little (and I know this is being real picky) is how similarly every character spoke alike. They all carried the same cadence and vocabulary and patterns. People from all walks of life sound like they all went to the same school.

And yes, everything in the last episode looked to be set for season 4. No justice, no retribution, no closure. We have to make it up ourselves. Hmmm.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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JackFavell
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Re: Deadwood

Post by JackFavell »

We got free HBO for a year due to technical difficulties with our cable provider, which we have since switched away from. This means we got free HBO for a long time, and I got to see Six Feet Under, which I loved.

I almost didn't watch a second episode of Deadwood, due to the language and filth and just plain nastiness. However, something about it caught my attention - it seems like the show uses violence and language and adult themes in such a way as to show that there is something higher. I watched almost all of one season, then never got back to it afterwards. For me, it actually seemed to be heading to a place where the women, who were so spat upon and used, were going to take their fate into their own hands and were maybe even going to become the leaders of the town. I guess I'll have to plunge back into that icky milieu to find out, now that it's all out on video.

Oh, yeah, I agree that the weird tone of speech was very similar from character to character. A small flaw, but still.
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movieman1957
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Re: Deadwood

Post by movieman1957 »

Several of the women were very strong characters. I never got the impression that they were in a position to take charge but all, save for the "girls" in the background, had strong personalities and were often not afraid of doing what was best for them.

There were some slow spots to be sure but as long as the story stayed tied to four or five main characters it was tight. Some of the last season expanded to where it got a little hard to follow but as drama it was good.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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JackFavell
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Re: Deadwood

Post by JackFavell »

Well, so I got that part wrong... but I do hope the women were able to get to a place where their lives and souls were their own.
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Lzcutter
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Re: Deadwood

Post by Lzcutter »

Deadwood, especially the first season and the last, was must be seen! Even Season 2, after they got past Al's kidney stone, was quite watchable. Gerald McRaney, as George Hearst, William Randolph's father, was mesmerizing in the final season.

HBO broke my heart when they cancelled this and Carnivale.
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movieman1957
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Re: Deadwood

Post by movieman1957 »

I never caught "Hearst" being the father of William Randolph. He was one mean SOB. I agree that the first and third are the best of the three.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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