K-Ville S01E01 9/17/07
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Well, as someone who lived for over 20 years in New Orleans until Katrina took my home and who's wife lived there her entire life until Katrina, K-Ville was a must see.
I'll definitely give it a few more episodes. Mixed feelings, but mostly positive....
Positives:
Negatives:
Other things, being from New Orleans that I noticed included little continuity problems that are enevitable. The opening chase, for instance, went from the French quarter, then jumped to some footage shot on the west bank, then jumped to the Casino in the CBD. An impossible sequence. But this is typical of chases shot on location.
The street where Boulet lived looked like a real street and not a set or a movie lot build, but I'm not sure. If it was on a lot, it was convincing. My wife and I are trying to decide if it was really shot in the upper-9 or in mid-city. It could be either (or a damn good outdoor set). The architecture of the houses (Boulet's and the ones still in ruins) had numerous touches that are sort of unique to New Orleans. If it was a set, they did their homework very well! :up:
"Riverfront Casino" is ficticious, of course, but it looks like they used the real casino, "Harrah's New Orleans", as a location.
The casino owner's house was one of the river road antebellum plantation houses.
In summary. I thought it was an above average "cop show". That might keep it going for a season or more.
Even though I and other New Orleanians are in the thick of the Katrina realities that still exist, I hope they downplay the "Katrina" aspect since the rest of the country is tired of hearing about Katrina, and if they overplay that aspect, it will kill the show,
I'll definitely give it a few more episodes. Mixed feelings, but mostly positive....
Positives:
- Filmed entirely on location in and around New Orleans. I recognized every location.
(Well, almost. See below.) - They got the accent and lexicon of New Orleans almost perfectly. This is the only TV show or movie set in New Orleans that ever did, AFAIK. John Carrol Lynch missed the mark on the accent a bit, but he was clearly trying. He'll probably get better with more practice.
- I was picking up on the clues that Cobb was really from New Orleans from the very beginning. Knowing what a "neutral ground" was (a median), knowing his way around. Knowing a super-minor street's location. (My wife, a New Orleans Taxi dispatcher for almost 20 years picked up that street, and the fact that he got it exactly right. I thought the street was fictitious.) But only someone from/familiar with New Orleans might have picked this up. Well done.
- Boulet's PTSD was well depicted.
- Good mystery. Not too obvious. Nice action.
Negatives:
- Acting was a little stiff. Chemistry between Boulet and Cobb (as well as the other cops and the chief) was a little forced. Maybe that will get better with time.
- The "exploitation of the Katrina victims" theme was fine for the pilot, but I hope they don't overdo it in future episodes. That would cause a shark jump.
- Cobb's ability to "erase" his criminal past stretched "suspension of disbelief" too far. In the real world, all digital criminal records in New Orleans were well backed up and 100% restored (I have this on very good authority). In fact, very few boxes of physical crime evidence were lost. Many had to be cleaned and dried, but they weren't totally lost.
Other things, being from New Orleans that I noticed included little continuity problems that are enevitable. The opening chase, for instance, went from the French quarter, then jumped to some footage shot on the west bank, then jumped to the Casino in the CBD. An impossible sequence. But this is typical of chases shot on location.
The street where Boulet lived looked like a real street and not a set or a movie lot build, but I'm not sure. If it was on a lot, it was convincing. My wife and I are trying to decide if it was really shot in the upper-9 or in mid-city. It could be either (or a damn good outdoor set). The architecture of the houses (Boulet's and the ones still in ruins) had numerous touches that are sort of unique to New Orleans. If it was a set, they did their homework very well! :up:
"Riverfront Casino" is ficticious, of course, but it looks like they used the real casino, "Harrah's New Orleans", as a location.
The casino owner's house was one of the river road antebellum plantation houses.
In summary. I thought it was an above average "cop show". That might keep it going for a season or more.
Even though I and other New Orleanians are in the thick of the Katrina realities that still exist, I hope they downplay the "Katrina" aspect since the rest of the country is tired of hearing about Katrina, and if they overplay that aspect, it will kill the show,
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I thought the first episode was ok though the jumps in time sequencing bugged me a bit. One second they are getting shot at, the next they are riding in the car chasing after the shooter - when did they get in the car?!? How'd they get in so quickly and be able to follow the shooter's so quickly?
The bad guys were too easy to predict but that could be a one time occurence, or it might be something that happens repeatedly and leaves me disappointed and bored with the episodes.
Up against Monday Night Football, Heroes starting next week, the comedies on CBS doesn't help this show's chances. And oh, yeah, the fact that it is airing on FOX means sooner, rather than later, we might be again saying Burn in Hell!
And oh, yeah, quick comment about the new partner -- there's no way in hell that criminal past doesn't follow him and keep him from becoming a cop and/or keep him out of the military. Computer records would exist *somewhere*, no matter what happened in New Orleans or other places. Somewhere there'd be the same records that Boulet found and they'd have kept his new partner from getting too far undiscovered.
The bad guys were too easy to predict but that could be a one time occurence, or it might be something that happens repeatedly and leaves me disappointed and bored with the episodes.
Up against Monday Night Football, Heroes starting next week, the comedies on CBS doesn't help this show's chances. And oh, yeah, the fact that it is airing on FOX means sooner, rather than later, we might be again saying Burn in Hell!
And oh, yeah, quick comment about the new partner -- there's no way in hell that criminal past doesn't follow him and keep him from becoming a cop and/or keep him out of the military. Computer records would exist *somewhere*, no matter what happened in New Orleans or other places. Somewhere there'd be the same records that Boulet found and they'd have kept his new partner from getting too far undiscovered.
I was so-so on this show from the beginning and unfortunately I did not make it to the end.
It started off reasonable, but then it got to the shooting and the chase scene and that chase was just well stupid. It jumped about and the cinematography was terrible. Typical FOX, but I did not like it and so I deleted the show and season pass right there.
Sorry K-ville.
It started off reasonable, but then it got to the shooting and the chase scene and that chase was just well stupid. It jumped about and the cinematography was terrible. Typical FOX, but I did not like it and so I deleted the show and season pass right there.
Sorry K-ville.
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+1bdowell said:
The time editing bothered me as well with the first chase and the second chase as well.
I was also incredulous at the fact that Charlie's car was still drivable after taking out the conveniently bulletproof SUV.
And I agree with 100% about the partner's criminal. Stretching the suspension of disbelief very, very far.
Also,
Stop it with the strobing cameras already!
I'll give it one more week but I'm not thinking that this is a keeper.
It felt like the shield with weak acting.
things like when he was interrogating the security guy and the sweat coming off his brow. The very beginning also felt very much like the shield.
Anthony Anderson was the best of the bunch but everyone one else is pretty weak.
I think if they shuffled in a couple of good actors like maybe get Kenny Johnson(Lem) from the shield and Alex O'Loughlin(Hiatt) or even Forest Whitaker(Kavanaugh) as a chief or higher up police chief. That would spice it up abit.
things like when he was interrogating the security guy and the sweat coming off his brow. The very beginning also felt very much like the shield.
Anthony Anderson was the best of the bunch but everyone one else is pretty weak.
I think if they shuffled in a couple of good actors like maybe get Kenny Johnson(Lem) from the shield and Alex O'Loughlin(Hiatt) or even Forest Whitaker(Kavanaugh) as a chief or higher up police chief. That would spice it up abit.
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It was better than I expected (for Fox). I'll keep the season pass.
Anthony Anderson was surprisingly good in the first drammatic role I've ever seen him do. The secret revealed about the partner at the end was highly impropable though - especially the fact Bordeaux (sp?) wasn't going to turn him in immediately.
Also the fact Anderson would ever have attracted such a slim attractive wife.
But beyond that I enjoyed the plot. My husband said the casino owner buying up all the land was obvious (after the cops discovered it), but even the fact it was the daughter even surprised him. So I credit that as being a good ending.
Funny to see Simone from Heroes as one of the female cops (took me a while to place her with her hair tied back) as well as Bernard and Ethan from Lost. They sure recycle actors on TV a lot these days.
Cheryl
Anthony Anderson was surprisingly good in the first drammatic role I've ever seen him do. The secret revealed about the partner at the end was highly impropable though - especially the fact Bordeaux (sp?) wasn't going to turn him in immediately.
Also the fact Anderson would ever have attracted such a slim attractive wife.
But beyond that I enjoyed the plot. My husband said the casino owner buying up all the land was obvious (after the cops discovered it), but even the fact it was the daughter even surprised him. So I credit that as being a good ending.
Funny to see Simone from Heroes as one of the female cops (took me a while to place her with her hair tied back) as well as Bernard and Ethan from Lost. They sure recycle actors on TV a lot these days.
Cheryl
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Thought it was mostly okay except for the unnecessary and unbelievable "extras" thrown in by the writers. For example:
I just don't understand why they feel it's necessary to take an otherwise decent cop show and turn it into a fairy tale - or is it just me?
- The "twist" at the end of making the cop an ex-con - made even worse by
- His partner's reaction ("if there's any criminal left inside you I'll see it"). Please.
- A cop pulling his gun on his partner because he knew his way around town - made worse by
- The partner saying "If you ever do that again one of us won't walk away". Right. PTSD or not, cops don't pull guns on other cops except in the most extreme circumstances. And then, they don't just stand there and look at each other.
- The captain allowing his subordinates to essentially do whatever they want to solve a case
I just don't understand why they feel it's necessary to take an otherwise decent cop show and turn it into a fairy tale - or is it just me?
I liked it enough to give it a chance. As a frequent visitor to the NOLA area, I noticed the things they got right more than the things they got wrong. I got a chuckle out of the "Mom'n'em" from Boulet in the first scene, so that put me in the right frame of mind to start with, I guess. If they stretch Cobb's criminal past into too much of a plot point, it will probably lose me. Ditto Charlie. Use him or lose him soon.
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I think they're all busy:mgk said:
Kenny Johnson (Lem) - regular on "Saving Grace"
Alex O'Loughlin (Hiatt) - lead in "Moonlight"
Forest Whitaker (Kavanaugh) - that whole Oscar thing
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As I watched, I let out a delighted hoot at "Mom'n'em" too!mrmike said:
This kind of stuff will definitely help keep the interest of folks from or familiar with New Orleans.
I just hope other aspects of the show are high enough quality to keep the interest of everyone else (and keep FOX from canceling it).
I really don't want to have to participate in a "Burn in Hell FOX" thread over this one. I'm rooting for it!
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I lost interest pretty quickly...20 minutes in. Another cliched cop show that won't last a season. The only reason this even got into production is the word "Katrina."
They'd have been better off making some sort of past-history series of New Orleans in the wild west era with a new Sheriff in town, et. al. Heck, maybe even set it after some other big storm from the past. But this thing as it is now is a bunch of cow dung trying to capitalize over emotions related to the devastation from Katrina.
They'd have been better off making some sort of past-history series of New Orleans in the wild west era with a new Sheriff in town, et. al. Heck, maybe even set it after some other big storm from the past. But this thing as it is now is a bunch of cow dung trying to capitalize over emotions related to the devastation from Katrina.
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If the schedule is the same in your area as in mine, it is being repeated TONITE (Tuesday 9/18) so you can catch it legally over-the-air.Mabes said:
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