WWVaBeach Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 DVR'd and just watched it. I think this could be HBO's next hit. Very well put together, realistic which to me means well acted. Any of you catch it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 When I heard that HBO was going to make this show, I was interested, and I really like Jeff Daniels as an actor. Then I saw the first preview and I became a bit apprehensive. It looks like they are going for laughs and having a lot of obnoxious characters and jokes thrown at us, instead of a more serious drama, which is what I was hoping for. I did not see the first episode, so is my assessment wrong on this show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I lean to the right politically, so I don't really need Sorkin to preach to me. I loved the West Wing for a few years, but then I just couldn't take the liberal slant and the overwritten unrealistic dialogue any longer.....Nobody in the world is as sharp as Sorkin's character's - with a great pithy funny monologue or quip at a moment's notice. I think that type of writing is better suited for his movies. Social Network was great. But, week after week of it, I just can't take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I lean to the right politically, so I don't really need Sorkin to preach to me. I loved the West Wing for a few years, but then I just couldn't take the liberal slant and the overwritten unrealistic dialogue any longer.....Nobody in the world is as sharp as Sorkin's character's - with a great pithy funny monologue or quip at a moment's notice. I think that type of writing is better suited for his movies. Social Network was great. But, week after week of it, I just can't take. Well said. My head almost exploded during the first scene of Social Network. It was FAR too much Sorkin for me to handle. I've also heard some tepid reviews of Newsroom. But between WW and Sports Night, one doesn't need to see much Sorkin to have seen it all. This has been making its rounds, and it's sickening: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooderson Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 DVR'd and just watched it. I think this could be HBO's next hit. Very well put together, realistic which to me means well acted. Any of you catch it? I really liked it. I thought Daniel's played a great character and his ex-wife EP has the sexiest accent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWVaBeach Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 When I heard that HBO was going to make this show, I was interested, and I really like Jeff Daniels as an actor. Then I saw the first preview and I became a bit apprehensive. It looks like they are going for laughs and having a lot of obnoxious characters and jokes thrown at us, instead of a more serious drama, which is what I was hoping for. I did not see the first episode, so is my assessment wrong on this show? Just as one of the other posters stated i also lean to the right. In the 1st episode there didn't seem to be alot of Sorkin's "leftisms" thrown in. The acting is powerful and you got it right w/Jeff Daniels. He plays the part perfectly. They did a good job of showing what makes up his inside character. Check it out Mark and let us know what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Don't lean to the right. Don't lean to the left. Let the circumstances inform you. Just do that. Chuck Klosterman wrote it best years ago, & I've quoted it here many times: I am an apolitical person. Absolutely nobody believes me when I say that, but it's true. Every conservative person I know thinks I'm mixing Noam Chomsky's personal Kool-Aid, and every liberal I know seems to assume I want to shampoo Ann Coulter's hair while watching outtakes from "The Passion of the Christ." I have no idea how this happened. For example, I don't have an opinion on abortion. I really, truly do not. You want to have an abortion? Fine; take my car keys, You think abortion is murder? Well, you're probably right. Who knows? Either way, it doesn't have anything to do with me. Do I think George W. Bush is the worst president of my lifetime? Well, of course I do -- but that's not because he's a Republican. It's because he somehow (a) got into Yale, yet (b) claims "the jury is still out" on the theory of evolution. Everything is situational, and that reality informs how I interpret the world. At least within my mind, it seems as though any people who consciously and consistently perceive themselves as right-leaning or left-leaning are simply admitting that they don't want to think critically about complexity. It always strikes me as staunchly unsophisticated and mildly insane. I liked the pilot. I know how contrived it is but hey, good entertainment is contrived in some form. At least Cervantes was referenced enough as a hat-tip the fact that it was contrived. I gotta respect that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I was looking forward to this show and it lived up to my expectations. Excellent cast, interesting subject, superbly written and produced. Sorkin isn't for everyone of course, but to me he's one of the best out there. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the season and wondering what the week to week will look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 (edited) i thought Daniels' character's soliloquy to begin the premier was awesome. But i lean left. that said, it's hard to deny the quality of the acting, writing and directing. what else is on tv right now that comes close? downton abbey, mad men and justified are the only that come to mind. interestingly, i started a thread on this in ppp and the political drama critics over there mustered a single reply...i guess it's not for everyone. but i'm eager for the next episode and the rest of the series. if you get a chance listen to Terry Gross' recent interview with Daniels on npr. Edited June 30, 2012 by birdog1960 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Don't lean to the right. Don't lean to the left. Let the circumstances inform you. Just do that. Chuck Klosterman wrote it best years ago, & I've quoted it here many times: I liked the pilot. I know how contrived it is but hey, good entertainment is contrived in some form. At least Cervantes was referenced enough as a hat-tip the fact that it was contrived. I gotta respect that. I thought I was the only person without a strong opinion one way or the other on abortion. Chuck makes it two of us.......I say leaning, because I agree with the right on more issues, but there are some that I agree with the left on......So, I still let circumstances inform me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kegtapr Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 i thought Daniels' character's soliloquy to begin the premier was awesome. But i lean left....... I lean right, and I thought it was awesome too. This show seems to be calling everyone out, at least so far anyway. Hope it stays that way and doesn't turn into a left sucks or right sucks type of show. We both suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I lean right, and I thought it was awesome too. This show seems to be calling everyone out, at least so far anyway. Hope it stays that way and doesn't turn into a left sucks or right sucks type of show. We both suck. So it's "South Park"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWVaBeach Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 So it's "South Park"? Yeah but with taller characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Finally the first two episodes of this show, and I have mixed feelings. First of all let me state that I lean right politically. I thought the first episode was very well done. Jeff Daniels is an outstanding actor and he fits the part perfectly. Emily Mortimer & Sam Waterston are very good too. I did not know that the show would involve itself with actual news events, that was a very pleasant surprise. The show really excels when it deals with the news stories. I like how in this episode they did not hold back against both the left and the right. As for the stories involving the characters, I am not yet that interested in the soap opera type angle they are going for, and some of the comedy seems forced and snarky and just falls flat. Also, why are the actors talking so fast? It felt like I was watching "Good Will Hunting" or a David Mamet story. Slow down and breathe people! Please. The second episode was more of a letdown. The show had a great opportunity to show both sides of the SB1070 law, but instead they showed the left side of the debate as the reasonable one, and the right side as idiotic and racist. A real shame to, because it would have made for an interesting episode. Then they had to lower themselves by giving us stupid jokes about Sarah Palin. Really? Sarah Palin jokes? What is this, "The Family Guy"? Emily Mortimer's character's comment about "A one term governor from a state that nobody lives in.", was very narrow-minded and downright stupid. So I will continue to watch this show, and see if it gets better. Jeff Daniels is the main reason to watch this show, and I do like the actual news events. Also showing us what goes on behind the scenes of a newsroom is intriguing and is probably not that far from the truth. Hopefully I will start to care more about the other characters as I hope they start to act a little more mature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Finally the first two episodes of this show, and I have mixed feelings. First of all let me state that I lean right politically. I thought the first episode was very well done. Jeff Daniels is an outstanding actor and he fits the part perfectly. Emily Mortimer & Sam Waterston are very good too. I did not know that the show would involve itself with actual news events, that was a very pleasant surprise. The show really excels when it deals with the news stories. I like how in this episode they did not hold back against both the left and the right. As for the stories involving the characters, I am not yet that interested in the soap opera type angle they are going for, and some of the comedy seems forced and snarky and just falls flat. Also, why are the actors talking so fast? It felt like I was watching "Good Will Hunting" or a David Mamet story. Slow down and breathe people! Please. The second episode was more of a letdown. The show had a great opportunity to show both sides of the SB1070 law, but instead they showed the left side of the debate as the reasonable one, and the right side as idiotic and racist. A real shame to, because it would have made for an interesting episode. Then they had to lower themselves by giving us stupid jokes about Sarah Palin. Really? Sarah Palin jokes? What is this, "The Family Guy"? Emily Mortimer's character's comment about "A one term governor from a state that nobody lives in.", was very narrow-minded and downright stupid. So I will continue to watch this show, and see if it gets better. Jeff Daniels is the main reason to watch this show, and I do like the actual news events. Also showing us what goes on behind the scenes of a newsroom is intriguing and is probably not that far from the truth. Hopefully I will start to care more about the other characters as I hope they start to act a little more mature. All of your criticisms of the show (particularly the bolded section) can be distilled to one fact: it's written by Aaron Sorkin. For a newsies critique, check this out: http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2012/07/sorkins_newsroom_who_what_when.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I lean to the right politically, so I don't really need Sorkin to preach to me. I loved the West Wing for a few years, but then I just couldn't take the liberal slant and the overwritten unrealistic dialogue any longer.....Nobody in the world is as sharp as Sorkin's character's - with a great pithy funny monologue or quip at a moment's notice. I think that type of writing is better suited for his movies. Social Network was great. But, week after week of it, I just can't take. As one who leans left, I agree with you...I hated "West Wing" and I thought the pilot for "Newsroom" was pretty bad too. For some reason, political dramas don't work for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I feel like a big bait and switch just happened with this show in the third episode.i was surprised by the.tine of the first two episodes, and rather enjoyed them except for the soap opera stuff that Mark described. Then this lastl show...right where I thought a Sorkin show will go. and I am okay with blasting the extreme right...let's just see if he goes the other way as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Finally the first two episodes of this show, and I have mixed feelings. First of all let me state that I lean right politically. I thought the first episode was very well done. Jeff Daniels is an outstanding actor and he fits the part perfectly. Emily Mortimer & Sam Waterston are very good too. I did not know that the show would involve itself with actual news events, that was a very pleasant surprise. The show really excels when it deals with the news stories. I like how in this episode they did not hold back against both the left and the right. As for the stories involving the characters, I am not yet that interested in the soap opera type angle they are going for, and some of the comedy seems forced and snarky and just falls flat. Also, why are the actors talking so fast? It felt like I was watching "Good Will Hunting" or a David Mamet story. Slow down and breathe people! Please. The second episode was more of a letdown. The show had a great opportunity to show both sides of the SB1070 law, but instead they showed the left side of the debate as the reasonable one, and the right side as idiotic and racist. A real shame to, because it would have made for an interesting episode. Then they had to lower themselves by giving us stupid jokes about Sarah Palin. Really? Sarah Palin jokes? What is this, "The Family Guy"? Emily Mortimer's character's comment about "A one term governor from a state that nobody lives in.", was very narrow-minded and downright stupid. So I will continue to watch this show, and see if it gets better. Jeff Daniels is the main reason to watch this show, and I do like the actual news events. Also showing us what goes on behind the scenes of a newsroom is intriguing and is probably not that far from the truth. Hopefully I will start to care more about the other characters as I hope they start to act a little more mature. i think that i more or less have the same views on it to date. I think one note would be that if you are going for a recreation of what a CNN newsroom is like behind the scenes - im guessing its high strung and has palin jokes. i loved the fact that its dealing in real news. the spill being one that hits close to home for me on the gulf coast. a few of the characters arent yet loved by me but we will see where it goes. with such a small sample on each, a scene or two that rubs you wrong can really sour a character that will turn out great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) I feel like a big bait and switch just happened with this show in the third episode.i was surprised by the.tine of the first two episodes, and rather enjoyed them except for the soap opera stuff that Mark described. Then this lastl show...right where I thought a Sorkin show will go. and I am okay with blasting the extreme right...let's just see if he goes the other way as well. i havent seen this weeks yet (tonight i will hopefully). I am hoping it doesnt go to extreme. its such a natural setting for things to head that way though - again pointing to the "what do you think its like on the floor of your average news show" - probably leaning the same way sorkin does. its kind of a natural habitat for his writing. itll be an interesting tight rope to walk if he wants to keep a broad demographic and not just have one side watching. Edited July 10, 2012 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) I feel like a big bait and switch just happened with this show in the third episode.i was surprised by the.tine of the first two episodes, and rather enjoyed them except for the soap opera stuff that Mark described. Then this lastl show...right where I thought a Sorkin show will go. and I am okay with blasting the extreme right...let's just see if he goes the other way as well. Watched the 3rd episode last night, and wow, the joke's on me! What a big disappointment. The first episode had such promise, even with the silly soap opera stuff. When they were dealing with the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, I actually thought that we would have a strong show involving real news events and what a news room goes through to get the story delivered. Boy, was I ever wrong. This most recent episode was so offensive and very patronizing. The left wing propaganda garbage that was spewed on "The 112th Congress" episode was so comical and filled with vitriol that I honestly thought I was watching a Michael Moore film. Alas, I should not be surprised. I actually watched the entire episode and I was hoping, just hoping that there would be some perspective from the other side. Sure enough there was, and that perspective was, "If you are a Tea Party member, then you are a big stupid buffoon." What's even more unfortunate and amazing, is that there are people who actually believe a lot of this garbage. I could give many examples of the idiocy from this episode, but then this post will go on as long as "War and Peace". As I stated in an earlier post I lean right politically, so I do have an axe to grind with this stuff, but I am not unrealistic. There are idiots on the right and there are idiots on the left. I was so hoping that this show would have the guts to call out both sides, that obviously is not the case. Sadly there are very few people out there that are willing to call out both sides, and even when some people do, they are dismissed as being unrealistic, or they use the biggest cop-out phrase of all-time, "You can't have it both ways." Sam Waterston's character in this episode actually says that "This country just elected the most dangerous congress ever in this country!" I guess his character doesn't remember the congress that got elected in 2006. Needless to say I am ticked off about this, and as a result I will not be watching this show anymore. Too bad, because I do think Jeff Daniels is very good in this show, and I do not think he has ever gotten recognition for his acting talent. So it is time for me to move on from this train wreck and watch something better. One last thing, I can guarantee you that we will not see anything like this from "The Newsroom", if they choose to center an episode around the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Edited July 10, 2012 by Mark Vader Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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