John from Cincy: series premiere: OAD 6/10/07 *spoilers* [Text View]

terpfan1980

06-10-2007, 10:08 PM

Going into this with a somewhat open mind, but I can't help but think that this show is the reason that Deadwood is gone and I'm gonna have to push myself hard not to hold that against the show.

charlief1975

06-10-2007, 10:08 PM

Luke Perry?

rhuntington3

06-10-2007, 10:30 PM

I'm recording but I really have no idea what its about. :o Guess I'll watch it and see.

terpfan1980

06-10-2007, 11:08 PM

I'm recording but I really have no idea what its about. :o Guess I'll watch it and see.

Well, I watched it and I still have no idea what it was really about?!

Will I watch more later, I guess. At least another episode or two, but it's on a short leash for now.

Props up to Ed O'Neill, and big plusses for Rebecca De Mornay (who I think still has plenty of opportunity showing in the window :D )

aus1ander

06-10-2007, 11:20 PM

Weird show... that kid is a hell of surfer though.

osterber

06-10-2007, 11:28 PM

After that Soprano's ending... no way I was going to stick around for more HBO tonight!

-Rick

mwhip

06-10-2007, 11:39 PM

I am not sure what it is either but I kind of like it. It may just be Milch's writing style that is so poetic you have to watch it a couple times to feel it and understand it.

unixadm

06-10-2007, 11:51 PM

Turned it off about halfway through......wasn't really interested in it.

Of course, being pissed about the Soprano's ending didn't help with me trying to pay attention to it! ;)

nlsinger

06-11-2007, 12:11 AM

Do you have to make references to other shows others may or may not have seen yet? Sheesh.

theGUYman

06-11-2007, 12:39 AM

Just took a quick look, and I think this one wins the "F-word per minute" race!

mwhip

06-11-2007, 01:04 AM

Just took a quick look, and I think this one wins the "F-word per minute" race!

Is this your first experience with Milch?

Bananfish

06-11-2007, 02:51 AM

This one was a total yawner. Awful. I fell asleep twice. I hated *all* the characters. Hated the premise of this guy John parroting everything said to him. I was getting a headache from all the yelling and hostility displayed by virtually every single character. Etc.

The only thing that topped the awfulness of this show was the snippets of Milch immediately after talking about the show ... let me put this into language that Milch can understand: what a f'ing blowhard.

Other than that I liked it.

Knives of Ice

06-11-2007, 05:04 AM

i loved the first episode. i'm sure its not for everyone, very arty but i loved all the characters and the writing.

F words per minute? i don't get this at all. pretty much the norm for any hbo show and there wasn't nearly the amount of cursing in this compared to the majority of shows on hbo.

great first episode i'll be watching every week.

TIVO_GUY_HERE

06-11-2007, 09:40 AM

I felt like i walked into the 2nd or 3rd episode. Not a great way to hook viewers. Turned TV off after about 15 minutes, TiVo still recorded it, but I doubt I will watch.

Ekims

06-11-2007, 09:51 AM

markp99

06-11-2007, 10:04 AM

Did not watch; too pissed about Sopranos.

My wife did watch. She said it took a while to get into the story/characters, but by the end she was interested. I may have to give this a shot later in the week.

ClutchBrake

06-11-2007, 11:35 AM

Hated the premise of this guy John parroting everything said to him.

"I don't know, Butchie, instead."

Think on that for a while... ;)

5thcrewman

06-11-2007, 12:18 PM

My dish went out just as it was starting, did I miss anything before Luke Perry on the beach? :D

mwhip

06-11-2007, 12:27 PM

My dish went out just as it was starting, did I miss anything before Luke Perry on the beach? :D

The opening which was really cool looked like archived footage kinda like "Riding Giants".

danielhart

06-11-2007, 12:34 PM

Yeah, Artfreak went to bed about 20 minutes into it and I stayed through to the end. This series will live or die based on the second episode I think. Very wierd show. I wish I had a pair of John pants. That would be cool to present out of the pocket what someone wanted you to have. :)

I dunno. I read a bunch of reviews where the reviewers got to see the first three episodes, and while some liked it, none could really say they had a grasp on what was really going on even by the end of the third episode.

Although for me, most of it is a pretty straightforward story about a dysfunctional family with three generations of surfers, a disguntled yet newly wealthy (lottery)gay guy with a traumatic past, and an ex-cop with an affinity for birds and dysfunctional people. The parts that are fuzzy would be Grandpa's ability to levitate for no apparent reason, bird reanimation, and of course, the title character himself (the best I can think at the moment is that he is supposed to be some kind of an angel).................

mwhip

06-11-2007, 12:39 PM

I think this show just like in Lost or Heroes we are going to have to have a little faith. Milch is self proclaimed loon and this interview he did last week let me know exactly how to take the show which I think helps:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJ1y338MAe0

TAsunder

06-11-2007, 02:10 PM

Reminds me of "Being There", in a good way. I'm interested enough to keep watching. One thing I will say, though, is that surfers speaking in dense dialogue is not as easy to suspend disbelief over as it was with people living in the wild west.

5thcrewman

06-11-2007, 03:01 PM

The opening which was really cool looked like archived footage kinda like "Riding Giants".
Zoom :p

TiVo'Brien

06-11-2007, 04:35 PM

Watched it for 20 minutes, couldn't stand all the cursing, the drugs, the dysfunctional people. Gave up on it. Probably won't be back -- maybe... but I doubt it. It seems targeted to a specific demographic.

jschuur

06-11-2007, 04:37 PM

I liked that the dialog complexity and linguistic style was somewhere in the middle between Deadwood and a normal TV show. I actually stopped watching Deadwood in season 3, because it became too hard to follow (or at least too hard to watch TV with one eye/ear, while the other was paying attention to something else.

Plenty of intrigue to keep me watching for a few episodes. Looking forward to the show next Sunday.

Fl_Gulfer

06-11-2007, 11:12 PM

I thought it was a cool show. I liked that no matter what they ask John for it was in his pocket. I think John is a angel trying to get this family straightened out before judgement day. Thats why he keeps saying the end is near.

FilmCritic3000

06-12-2007, 01:59 AM

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's definitely out there and very eclectic. I couldn't take my eyes off of it and I can't wait for next week's episode.

cheesesteak

06-12-2007, 08:49 AM

I watched it after my Sopranos induced HBO hatred subsided. Hard to know what the heck's going on from one episode. Looks like we've got a levitating ex-surfing legend, a druggie ex-surfing legend and a death reversing future surfing legend and strange John. I'll give it a couple more episodes, mostly because my TiVo has nothing to do most of the time now.

Sir_winealot

06-12-2007, 09:10 AM

Deadwood with surfboards.

Character similarities abound IMO, and the way the dialogue is delivered ...guess it's a Milch thing.

Not bad ...somewhat intriguing, and I guess we'll know whether it's a keeper or not in another few episodes.

I too hope that Butchie's screaming gets tamed down....

FilmCritic3000

06-12-2007, 12:24 PM

I also wanted to add that it's great seeing Ed O'Neill on television again. I really like his character, Bill.

TAsunder

06-12-2007, 12:25 PM

mwhip, thanks for the link. It actually confirms what I thought the show was going to be about and makes me even more interested to watch.

DaveBogart

06-12-2007, 05:22 PM

When are we gonna see bare boobies?

FilmCritic3000

06-12-2007, 05:29 PM

When are we gonna see bare boobies?

http://www.geocities.com/savannahsupn/booby.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/savannahsupn/booby.jpg

DaveBogart

06-12-2007, 06:33 PM

Nice pair!

FilmCritic3000

06-12-2007, 07:07 PM

Nice pair!

Why thank you! :D

anom

06-12-2007, 07:36 PM

Reminds me of "Being There", in a good way.
That was my first thought as well. John from Cincinnati = Chance the Gardener.

IndyJones1023

06-12-2007, 08:45 PM

I'm just trying to figure out who the second coming of the messiah is supposed to be - Mitch, Butchy, or Sean.

speedcouch

06-13-2007, 09:13 AM

I enjoyed the show. Recorded after the Sopranos and watched it Monday night. I think the levitating is to show the guy he's suppose to get back on the surfboard.

When John first started repeating everything folks said, it distinctly reminded me of Jeff Bridges' alien character in Starman. Later, I decided he's an angel or something to help the family get back together and on track.

Absolutely laughed my ass off during the scene in the hospital where the guy levitated and his son said "Need to get me some of that..." or whatever it was.

When the grandson "resurrected" the bird, I thought that the entire family has some sort of heavenly powers.

Cheryl

johnperkins21

06-13-2007, 11:32 AM

mwhip

06-13-2007, 11:37 AM

I enjoyed it. Laughed out loud a few times and just thought it was well done. My only complaints are that the kid who plays Sean (or Shawn) is a terrible actor and the whole John might be an angel thing. For now, I'm going to assume he's an alien from another planet.

I think he is a bad actor because he is a real life surfing prodigy and they went that direction instead of hiring an actor to surf. Of course you can cover his acting by putting him in scenes with O'Neil, Greenwood and Van Holt.

TAsunder

06-13-2007, 12:31 PM

I didn't think his acting was terrible... he seemed a little aloof is all. For an athlete he did pretty well.

PJO1966

06-13-2007, 12:51 PM

I didn't think his acting was terrible... he seemed a little aloof is all. For an athlete he did pretty well.

"Anyways...."

johnperkins21

06-13-2007, 01:07 PM

I did not realize that they hired a surfer instead of an actor. If that is the case, I can accept his lack of acting prowess.

mwhip

06-13-2007, 01:09 PM

I did not realize that they hired a surfer instead of an actor. If that is the case, I can accept his lack of acting prowess.

I think it is easier to hire a 14-year old surfer to act then it is to hire a 14-year old actor to surf.

PJO1966

06-13-2007, 01:10 PM

I think it is easier to hire a 14-year old surfer to act then it is to hire a 14-year old actor to surf.

Not unless they wanted to go with a stunt double for the surfing.

FilmCritic3000

06-13-2007, 01:19 PM

Not unless they wanted to go with a stunt double for the surfing.

Or go the "digitally impose the actor's face on the stuntman" route.

mwhip

06-13-2007, 01:24 PM

Not unless they wanted to go with a stunt double for the surfing.

I hate when filmmakers do that because you can tell from the way it is edited. I am glad they went this direction.

Or go the "digitally impose the actor's face on the stuntman" route.

Milch does not seem like a "CGI" kind of filmmaker.

johnperkins21

06-13-2007, 01:24 PM

Well, they hired Bruce Greenwood who is an actor and I'm not sure if he knows how to surf, but I'm positive that he doesn't know how to levitate. So, the kid they hire doesn't necessarily need to know how to surf. However, I do think it helps the authenticity of it and he'll probably get better as an actor anyway.

mwhip

06-13-2007, 01:30 PM

InterMurph

06-13-2007, 01:33 PM

Ed O'Neill did a poor job with his character, but not nearly as poor a job as Rebecca DeMornay did with hers. She was unlistenable.

Shaun is clearly the Christ figure (reviving the dead bird), which makes John "the Baptist". That's why Mitch levitated first when he was baptizing himself with water.

This show is bizarre so far, and a bit too preciously-acted. But I'll keep watching.

I'm hoping that Flight of the Conchords is better...

mwhip

06-13-2007, 01:37 PM

And Mitch only levitated when John was near.

cheesesteak

06-14-2007, 11:22 AM

I didn't have a problem with the kid's acting ability. He acted like a 14 year old kid, to me.

PJO1966

06-14-2007, 11:31 AM

I didn't have a problem with the kid's acting ability. He acted like a 14 year old kid, to me.

Exactly. I thought he was perfect in the part.

bdlucas

06-14-2007, 11:36 AM

My dish went out just as it was starting, did I miss anything before Luke Perry on the beach? :D
Your dish didn't go out, that's just how he chose to start the show. The beginning was ambiguous. He meant for us to make of it what we will, and everything else being discussed here is just people's inferences. You may think he couldn't figure out how to start the show, but in reality he did start it and you just didn't like the beginning.

;)

Weaselboy

06-14-2007, 08:03 PM

I'm watching for Rebecca Demornay.

TIVO_GUY_HERE

06-14-2007, 09:52 PM

...

F words per minute? i don't get this at all. pretty much the norm for any hbo show and there wasn't nearly the amount of cursing in this compared to the majority of shows on hbo...

Not nearly enough??? funny.

I stopped watching 1/4 of the way through, but tonight nothing else was on so I turned it on again. I made it though, don't know if thats a good sign or not, but with summer re-runs I will probably stick around.

betativoII

06-14-2007, 10:04 PM

I liked it, though I'm not sure why. We only recently added the HBO package (because of Big Love), so I have not seen Deadwood and am not familiar with Milch.

More than anything, I guess I'm a bit intrigued. The acting is okay, the cursing doesn't bother me. I'm curious to see how it all plays out.

A coworker of mine is engaged to Austin Nichol's (John Monad) uncle. I remember when "Surface" came out, there was a premiere of sorts in Austin, and she went to that. But I'd never seen him in anything until "John from Cincinnati."

PJO1966

06-14-2007, 10:06 PM

I'm not easily offended, but I did find the F*Bombs to be a bit much. I use the word on occasion, but this just seemed gratuitous.

I'm still intrigued and will still be tuning in.

teknikel

06-17-2007, 12:02 AM

Any show about Imperial Beach has got to be weird. And this show is just that. I liked it but it was distracting because I used to hang in IB. I used to ride horses on the beach where he was surfing. I loved seeing the Tijuana Bull Ring in the background.

The show itself almost turned me off but once I realized there was a truly sci fi element, I was hooked. And I won't cry if I never find out what it is all about when it ends. ;) Now it off to IMDB to see who these actors are.

kel

wmcbrine

06-17-2007, 02:13 AM

I just watched this (live -- no recording, so I can't go back) and I missed what Bill's relationship to the other characters was?

johnperkins21

06-17-2007, 02:40 AM

I just watched this (live -- no recording, so I can't go back) and I missed what Bill's relationship to the other characters was?

Bill is a family friend. Not exactly sure of the relationship other than that, but I believe he and Mitch are very close friends.

bobsbizzy

06-17-2007, 02:08 PM

I lasted 40 minutes.............

justapixel

06-17-2007, 02:43 PM

I thought Deadwood was the best written show on TV - maybe ever. So, I will be watching this one. I didn't understand it at all, but there are exactly two TV writers who I trust enough to give me a show I'll end up loving. Milch is one of them, Sorkin the other.

So, it stays on my TiVo.

Anubys

06-18-2007, 10:37 AM

I'll keep watching...but sunday night is too late for me...so I won't watch until friday or saturday...not bad...lots of potential...

did John say that the kid was going to die? I could have sworn that he said something along those lines...

stiffi

06-18-2007, 01:34 PM

johnperkins21

06-18-2007, 02:13 PM

did John say that the kid was going to die? I could have sworn that he said something along those lines...

Well, he said on multiple occasions that "the end is near." Could be a reference to some sort of cataclysmic event, or he could just be mimicking something he heard someone else say considering that seems to be the whole of his vocabulary (mimicking).

Anubys

06-18-2007, 02:16 PM

Well, he said on multiple occasions that "the end is near." Could be a reference to some sort of cataclysmic event, or he could just be mimicking something he heard someone else say considering that seems to be the whole of his vocabulary (mimicking).

Stiffi above got it right...he clearly said that the kid won't be around, implying death...there's what he knows and what he didn't know...that seemed to be something he knew, not just repeated...anything he repeated, someone had just said it...it seemed pretty ominous...

drew2k

06-18-2007, 11:36 PM

I enjoyed it. Laughed out loud a few times and just thought it was well done. My only complaints are that the kid who plays Sean (or Shawn) is a terrible actor and the whole John might be an angel thing. For now, I'm going to assume he's an alien from another planet.Have none of you watched Northern Exposure? The actor playing Shaun is simply channeling Ed Chigliak: same blank facial expressions and vocal intonations. It was eerie, man! Just picture Shaun saying, "Hi, Doctor Fleischman." :)

drew2k

06-18-2007, 11:37 PM

I loved the pilot and want to know more about these characters. I'll be back.

johnperkins21

06-19-2007, 12:50 AM

Have none of you watched Northern Exposure? The actor playing Shaun is simply channeling Ed Chigliak: same blank facial expressions and vocal intonations. It was eerie, man! Just picture Shaun saying, "Hi, Doctor Fleischman." :)

Yes, but that guy on Northern Exposure had great timing. This kid is all over the place. Although it's a great catch on the similarities in dumbfounded blank expressions.