Deadwood is in the top 5 TV shows of all time for me and Ian McShane is just outstanding as Al Swearengen turning expletive filled sentences into an art form. It was particularly funny for viewers in the UK as we were used to seeing him as cuddly antiques dealer, Lovejoy on Sunday afternoons!
I really admire Nolan’s films but mostly find them quite cold. Dunno what it is. Might just be me. Goes back to when I first saw The Prestige which had actors that I really liked but I couldn’t engage with it all 🤔
Saw this after posting my question so please disregard! I was happy to have more Deadwood but I agree, the movie wasn't the ending I had hoped for. I barely remember the movie having only watched it once.
I agree with you on the movie. However, my son watched it immediately after watching all the episodes for the first time and thought it was the perfect ending so 🤷♂️
Nolan is definitely into confusing audiences and it’s a kink. Although, Oppenheimer I didn’t find confusing, I do feel like it spawned /reignited a slew of 3+ hour films being “auteur’s preferred choice.” Having heard “The Brutalist” is over three hours and sat through “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” recently which was pretty much that, I can confirm that time is our most valuable resource and sitting in a theater or at home for that long is not how I want to spend it regardless of how magnificent it is. Say more with less please! Or I will just continue to call you pretentious and lazy for not properly editing your film
Thx for the shoutout! Glad you are getting something out my recos. Like you, I can’t keep on the content treadmill or hamster wheel while actively (and sometimes passively) participating in life. Got to be selective. It is what it is!
Watching Oppenheimer was a lot of trying to figure out the timeline. Does this scene happen before or after the last? That's why I think another viewing is needed to fully grok, at least for me.
Eventually I'll watch Somebody Somewhere and it'll be your fault. 🤓
It's not just Oppenheimer. Everything I watch now jumps around like a skittish grasshopper. Last night, after watching the "Silo" season 2 finale, they did a jump (scare) back into present-ish times and introduced two characters in the last 5 mins of the show. The show's present timeline is 300 years into the future, and the show is based on a series of sci-fi books. Anywho, I was so frustrated with this dissonance, the present-day loose ends, and the "Will these characters somehow interact with the present-day people?" question that I voiced it out loud, and my husband was like, "That's impossible." To which I responded, "But is it?" because in looking up the series on Google, apparently they do. The timeline jump and nonexplanation bug me. Here's a thought and solution - In addition to closed captions (subtitles), give me timeline slides for each scene that is non-linear. CONTEXT please!
I love the idea of minimalism... and my periodic attempts at it are probably the only reason I can walk from the door of my office to my desk. Of course, I collect books, which take up way too much space... and all sorts of fantasy and macabre decor... oh, and Lego Marvel sets... and cool light fixtures... and, well <sigh>... you get the idea.
So happy to hear you liked Oppenheimer! Yes you do need to watch it more than once, I got different things every time. I think you would definitely love Nolan's Interstellar as well which barely got on Netflix a few weeks ago. I had never watched it before and now I want to say it might be tied with Oppy or a very close second. I was getting Project Hail Mary vibes.
Re minimalism v maximalism, the latter for my home office because I like having sentimental pictures and mementos in my field of vision when I'm working. But minimalism everywhere else with touches of color and curated clutter. Would go crazy if all-white A Clockwork Orange situation.
Watching Deadwood, listening to the dialogue, the cadence of it, I was immediately reminded of blank verse, worthy of Hotspur, Richard III, or Lady MacBeth.
Shakesperean, _epic_ fucking language.
Like Civil War soldiers writing home to their wives or mothers… with some extra canned peaches.
As to the movie, Swearingen’s passing moved me. It reminded me of my reconciliation of my father before he passed.
Edit: It didn’t hurt/help my dad had the same piercing blue eyes as Ian MacShane… they’d cut right through me and look into my soul.
Love, love, love Deadwood. The first time I watched Deadwood, it took some time to adjust to the dialogue. The second time watching it was like phoning an old friend. I'd love to watch it a third time but there are so many other things I haven't made time for.
I'm curious as to what you thought about the Deadwood movie. Satisfying? Necessary?
Of course I am going to rush in here like a durpy Golden Retriever who just heard the good snack bag rip open! DEADWOOD POD...yezzzzzzzz...I have too many thoughts about the already, but you've definitely scooched me over to the rewatch side. I can think of no better way to pass these strange times than with the stalwart cocksuckers of Al and the Deadwood gang.
I love Deadwood. Not a perfect show, really, but an amazing one. At the same time, knowing what I do about the show's production, I think it might be the greatest vanity project ever made.
I suggest reading The Deadwood Bible, which collects a lot of info about the making of the series. But basically, HBO let Milch run wild with little to no oversight in terms of budget, scheduling and production. Among other things, they filmed the show past Episode 4 without scripts, with Milch and writers making pages for scenes on the fly and delivering them just before filming. Large amounts of production time were thus wasted and Milch loved to make changes all the time, when hit with inspiration. Basically, he got to treat it as improvisational theater and could experiment as much as he liked. They indulged him in large part because S1 worked as well it did. But that indulgence really undermined S2 and S3.
I was aware of the fluid nature of the production, but that just adds to the charm in my opinion. It was improvisational theater, as you say, and it gives the show its special something.
Don't get me wrong. I love it. And I think the improvisational nature often led to instances of unplanned brilliance. But I do wish there was more pushback during its making. We could've indeed gotten a fourth season, maybe even a fifth one with better planning and production.
Thanks so much for the shout-out, I'm honored that you trust me in that way. And I totally get what you're talking about. Lately, I'm also very selective about what I review. There's just too much to watch and time is precious.
WHAT a coincidence. I'm rewatching Deadwood right now!! (I also have a Mac Mini, hehe) This is some powerful writing... and a master class in a lot of other things, but especially the characters. Apart from that, I relate to Ellsworth's comical declaration: "I might have fucked my life up flatter than hammered shit" too. But like him, I'm not beholden to any human c*cksucker, either. lol
I used to hate Deadwood when I was too young to appreciate it, but I gave it a rewatch a few years ago and now I think it's great. Still need to finish that 3rd season, though 😬
Lord help me, I just could not get into Deadwood. I use the F word like a comma, but Deadwood's profanity was off-putting even for me. It also felt like it got in the way of the plot.
Like you, I loved the Minimalist documentary, enjoyed several of their books, and have played the Mins Game for than once. I think it's a great framework for people to take and adapt to their own situation.
Huge +1 for ignoring the content treadmill; it's the same way with records. I can only spin so many!
Thank you for the mention! It sounds like we've been having similar thought processes about Substack life. I'm not built for all-new reviews either, that kind of time commitment doesn't bode well for like... sleep and keeping a day-job and stuff lol.
I don't know if I'd call myself a minimalist, though I definitely saw that doc and went out to buy The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. 😅 There's definitely something to be said for only being surrounded by the things you love & that are useful. I think it mostly just pushed me to stop making consumption my entire personality.
Deadwood is in the top 5 TV shows of all time for me and Ian McShane is just outstanding as Al Swearengen turning expletive filled sentences into an art form. It was particularly funny for viewers in the UK as we were used to seeing him as cuddly antiques dealer, Lovejoy on Sunday afternoons!
I really admire Nolan’s films but mostly find them quite cold. Dunno what it is. Might just be me. Goes back to when I first saw The Prestige which had actors that I really liked but I couldn’t engage with it all 🤔
💯 Deadwood is a top 3 show for me. Only problem is it just ends, and the movie isn't quite the conclusion the show deserved.
Saw this after posting my question so please disregard! I was happy to have more Deadwood but I agree, the movie wasn't the ending I had hoped for. I barely remember the movie having only watched it once.
I agree with you on the movie. However, my son watched it immediately after watching all the episodes for the first time and thought it was the perfect ending so 🤷♂️
Nolan is definitely into confusing audiences and it’s a kink. Although, Oppenheimer I didn’t find confusing, I do feel like it spawned /reignited a slew of 3+ hour films being “auteur’s preferred choice.” Having heard “The Brutalist” is over three hours and sat through “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” recently which was pretty much that, I can confirm that time is our most valuable resource and sitting in a theater or at home for that long is not how I want to spend it regardless of how magnificent it is. Say more with less please! Or I will just continue to call you pretentious and lazy for not properly editing your film
Thx for the shoutout! Glad you are getting something out my recos. Like you, I can’t keep on the content treadmill or hamster wheel while actively (and sometimes passively) participating in life. Got to be selective. It is what it is!
Watching Oppenheimer was a lot of trying to figure out the timeline. Does this scene happen before or after the last? That's why I think another viewing is needed to fully grok, at least for me.
Eventually I'll watch Somebody Somewhere and it'll be your fault. 🤓
It's not just Oppenheimer. Everything I watch now jumps around like a skittish grasshopper. Last night, after watching the "Silo" season 2 finale, they did a jump (scare) back into present-ish times and introduced two characters in the last 5 mins of the show. The show's present timeline is 300 years into the future, and the show is based on a series of sci-fi books. Anywho, I was so frustrated with this dissonance, the present-day loose ends, and the "Will these characters somehow interact with the present-day people?" question that I voiced it out loud, and my husband was like, "That's impossible." To which I responded, "But is it?" because in looking up the series on Google, apparently they do. The timeline jump and nonexplanation bug me. Here's a thought and solution - In addition to closed captions (subtitles), give me timeline slides for each scene that is non-linear. CONTEXT please!
Yep, that's exactly what happens in the books too. It eventually ties together, but it was disruptive as a reader too.
I love the idea of minimalism... and my periodic attempts at it are probably the only reason I can walk from the door of my office to my desk. Of course, I collect books, which take up way too much space... and all sorts of fantasy and macabre decor... oh, and Lego Marvel sets... and cool light fixtures... and, well <sigh>... you get the idea.
Macabre decor? I'd love to hear what that looks like.
Deadwood was such a great show! Like watching Shakespeare with old west flair.
And a lot more cursing! 🤣
So happy to hear you liked Oppenheimer! Yes you do need to watch it more than once, I got different things every time. I think you would definitely love Nolan's Interstellar as well which barely got on Netflix a few weeks ago. I had never watched it before and now I want to say it might be tied with Oppy or a very close second. I was getting Project Hail Mary vibes.
Re minimalism v maximalism, the latter for my home office because I like having sentimental pictures and mementos in my field of vision when I'm working. But minimalism everywhere else with touches of color and curated clutter. Would go crazy if all-white A Clockwork Orange situation.
Interstellar is great! Can't wait for Project Hail Mary, such a good book.
I'll plan on rewatching Oppenheimer again soon. 🤓
Watching Deadwood, listening to the dialogue, the cadence of it, I was immediately reminded of blank verse, worthy of Hotspur, Richard III, or Lady MacBeth.
Shakesperean, _epic_ fucking language.
Like Civil War soldiers writing home to their wives or mothers… with some extra canned peaches.
As to the movie, Swearingen’s passing moved me. It reminded me of my reconciliation of my father before he passed.
Edit: It didn’t hurt/help my dad had the same piercing blue eyes as Ian MacShane… they’d cut right through me and look into my soul.
Love, love, love Deadwood. The first time I watched Deadwood, it took some time to adjust to the dialogue. The second time watching it was like phoning an old friend. I'd love to watch it a third time but there are so many other things I haven't made time for.
I'm curious as to what you thought about the Deadwood movie. Satisfying? Necessary?
I watched the movie the second it released lol. Glad to have the conclusion but it was far too little, and rather late.
Of course I am going to rush in here like a durpy Golden Retriever who just heard the good snack bag rip open! DEADWOOD POD...yezzzzzzzz...I have too many thoughts about the already, but you've definitely scooched me over to the rewatch side. I can think of no better way to pass these strange times than with the stalwart cocksuckers of Al and the Deadwood gang.
Fuck Yankton forever!
HAAAAAAAAA!!! Tshirt AND mug please! You don’t know how many times a week I casually think “those cocksuckers up in Yankton.” Well, you probably do…
😂 I totally get it
I knew you would 😉
I love Deadwood. Not a perfect show, really, but an amazing one. At the same time, knowing what I do about the show's production, I think it might be the greatest vanity project ever made.
How so?
I suggest reading The Deadwood Bible, which collects a lot of info about the making of the series. But basically, HBO let Milch run wild with little to no oversight in terms of budget, scheduling and production. Among other things, they filmed the show past Episode 4 without scripts, with Milch and writers making pages for scenes on the fly and delivering them just before filming. Large amounts of production time were thus wasted and Milch loved to make changes all the time, when hit with inspiration. Basically, he got to treat it as improvisational theater and could experiment as much as he liked. They indulged him in large part because S1 worked as well it did. But that indulgence really undermined S2 and S3.
I was aware of the fluid nature of the production, but that just adds to the charm in my opinion. It was improvisational theater, as you say, and it gives the show its special something.
Don't get me wrong. I love it. And I think the improvisational nature often led to instances of unplanned brilliance. But I do wish there was more pushback during its making. We could've indeed gotten a fourth season, maybe even a fifth one with better planning and production.
Thanks so much for the shout-out, I'm honored that you trust me in that way. And I totally get what you're talking about. Lately, I'm also very selective about what I review. There's just too much to watch and time is precious.
WHAT a coincidence. I'm rewatching Deadwood right now!! (I also have a Mac Mini, hehe) This is some powerful writing... and a master class in a lot of other things, but especially the characters. Apart from that, I relate to Ellsworth's comical declaration: "I might have fucked my life up flatter than hammered shit" too. But like him, I'm not beholden to any human c*cksucker, either. lol
Ellsworth is one of my favorites, love his perspective on life!
I'm gutted that David Milch has Alzheimers.
Same. Just devastating
I used to hate Deadwood when I was too young to appreciate it, but I gave it a rewatch a few years ago and now I think it's great. Still need to finish that 3rd season, though 😬
Definitely kink
Lord help me, I just could not get into Deadwood. I use the F word like a comma, but Deadwood's profanity was off-putting even for me. It also felt like it got in the way of the plot.
Like you, I loved the Minimalist documentary, enjoyed several of their books, and have played the Mins Game for than once. I think it's a great framework for people to take and adapt to their own situation.
Huge +1 for ignoring the content treadmill; it's the same way with records. I can only spin so many!
Thank you for the mention! It sounds like we've been having similar thought processes about Substack life. I'm not built for all-new reviews either, that kind of time commitment doesn't bode well for like... sleep and keeping a day-job and stuff lol.
I don't know if I'd call myself a minimalist, though I definitely saw that doc and went out to buy The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. 😅 There's definitely something to be said for only being surrounded by the things you love & that are useful. I think it mostly just pushed me to stop making consumption my entire personality.