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Roam If You Want To!! Critics Love HBO
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
It’s an expensive period piece about essentially the same era depicted in “Empire”!
The Hollywood Reporter says:
“… From a production standpoint, "Rome" is simply amazing. … The overall series is no less an accomplishment. Bruno Heller's scripts, while somber much of the time, nonetheless deliver compelling stories and memorable characters. … What makes it particularly engaging in this account is the parallel (and sometimes perpendicular) stories of two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus ([Kevin] McKidd), a gods-fearing, upstanding Centurion, and his subordinate, Titus Pullo ([Ray] Stevenson), a freewheeling, headstrong Legionnaire. … Episode lengths vary from about 40-50 minutes, but invariably leaving you craving more.”
Variety says:
“… an intriguing world that hews closer to "I, Claudius" than "Gladiator," with all the expected pay-cable debauchery. (It's not for the faint of heart). After watching half of the dozen episodes, I'm hooked, with the disclaimer that this ambitious venture requires a no-reading-the-Sunday-paper-while-watching commitment … No trip to ancient Rome would be complete without a healthy dose of sex, which is amply supplied by Caesar's conniving niece Atia (Polly Walker), who beds enough powerful men to practically open her own second front. Literally bathing in blood at one point, she's completely unabashed about pimping out her daughter to further her goals.”
USA Today gives it three and a half stars (out of four) and says:
As extravagant, enticing and chaotic as Rome itself, HBO's latest series boasts all the opulent pleasures that lavish expenditures of time and money can buy. Every detail in its re-creation of ancient Rome may not be correct, but the spirit and the overall picture ring true — and the entertainment value resounds. … Rome is not solely interested in the machinations of the high and mighty. It devotes equal time to the travails of two Roman soldiers: the strict, old-guard centurion Lucius (Kevin McKidd) and his "cheerful brutish" friend Pullo (Ray Stevenson).
Entertainment Weekly gives it a “B” and says:
Rome is not afraid to overdo it. There are clashing swords, flashing robes, and humming markets. There's a bounty of flesh: screwing, bathing, bouncing, writhing. And there's a load of exposition, so much that Rome sometimes feels like it was written by a particularly awful color commentator who won't shut up and let us enjoy the game. … Rome is most entertaining when it laces its wild, ancient antics with winks of the pedestrian: It's amusing to watch poor Octavian forced to join the goat-testes Clean Plate Club under his scolding mother's gaze. But it's simply fantastic when Atia, her house besieged by Pompey's men and her guests ready to commit honor-preserving suicide, whips into Martha Stewart mode. Like a good hostess casually taking drink orders, she wanders among her guests asking who will kill whom. …
Warren Zide’s Collider.com says:
… When I sat down to write this review, I did so after watching the first three episodes, and I came up with a number of issues. I was going to stop there, save the final three and watch them as they aired, but, what can I say, the show had me hooked and I didn’t want to wait. So, I watched the next three and it was as if everything I had complained about the creators had already figured out for themselves. You see, after they shot the first three episodes, they shut down production for a number of months while they “retooled” the show. After watching the first three episodes, the reason for the shutdown was clear. While the second episode was great, all three had issues. …
9 p.m. Sunday. HBO.
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Hopefully it'll be Deadwood, in Rome and not The Comeback, in Rome. I know that didn't make since, but I just want to vend how much I don't like The Comeback.
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Aug 28, 2005 2:59:28 AM CDT
HBO is still a bunch of bastards for cancelling Carnivale.
by johnny smith
And for that very reason, I will hate them forever. With fire.
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I'm a fucking idiot. That is all.
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One of, if not thee, greatest shows on television, with two great seasons, a huge following, and a cast that is only too happy to make more episodes. Only one more season is needed to complete the story. Um, why did they cancel it again? Screw ROME, more CARNIVALE please!
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Aug 28, 2005 8:32:50 AM CDT
"Atia...who beds enough powerful men to practically open her own
by toby o notoby
Am I the only one who read this wrong? C'mon people, that's comedy.
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HBO puts out quality programs,so I'll be watching tonite,good reviews or not.This show is gonna be good- Those who doubt me,suck cock by choice!
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Aug 28, 2005 9:33:15 AM CDT
Rome looks way too expensive for it to go on after one season.
by mr. profit
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Aug 28, 2005 10:19:02 AM CDT
I read a review that stated that this may be a dud like the ABC
by computerguy68
I don't know about you folks, but I think it's time for swords and sandals to go away for awhile.
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While I agree with the general idea (especially after how bad Empire sucked, and Alexander blew) I think this one will work out a little bit better. From what I have seen, the swords and sandals are more of an afterthought in this story and could just as easily be done in Brooklynn or Watts. Plus, Indira Varma and Polly Walker in loose flowing and easy to remove clothing is heavenly!
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HBO never fails to impress me.Even their mediocre shows are better then most tv shows and movies.I watched a behind scenes special on this last week and it looks very promising.The creators were saying the most difficult thing would be for viewers to get past looking at the world from a christian point of view.I'm also upset that HBO cancelled CARNAVALE but bless them for bringing back THE WIRE one of the best shows on the tube.In my opinion.
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Toga! Toga! Toga!
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...upset about Carnivale but thank God The Wire is coming back. Rome will have to prove something to me because I understand that its pricetag is part of the reason Carnivale was axed.
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Seriously? Another "D" list AICN insider? P.S. Does a guy with a last name like "McWeeny" ever make it to school with his lunch money?
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I love HBO!
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Just what will I now do with my Sundays? Geez...
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Yeesh, some Americans have problems
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that last line was a quote from Deadwood...........
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...the little kid who was the one-armed officer in MASTER AND COMMANDER? It seems that he has cornered the market on "Doogie Howser that kills people 'cause he's so much better than they are" roles.
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After modest shows like Sopranos and SFU, they've dove right in with shows like Carnivale, Deadwood, and now Rome ($100 million for the season!).
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Aug 28, 2005 9:01:58 PM CDT
I expected to find lots of fault with it, but I actually liked i
by fluffyunbound
If the early episodes are in fact the weaker ones, this will be a good series.
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Aug 28, 2005 9:20:58 PM CDT
The Highpoint Of The Episode For Me Was The Pagan Blood Ritual C
by zombiesolutions
priceless! roman decadence and insanity is great. i hope to see lots more -- orgies, incest, vomitoriums, mass executions, sacking, war, various pointless massacres, more vomit orgies, etc. could be cool!
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It's expensive as hell, ala Carnivale, so no matter how good it is it won't last, unless by some miracle it becomes the next "Sopranos", with ratings and pop culture impact to match. And I really don't see that happening, do you?
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Titus right off the bat establishes himself as a fan favorite. Good to know the hot Roman women preferred the launchpad hairstyle. A very solid start for this show, hopefully it shows in the ratings.
the above post was right on about Piven on Entourage. "Lloyd if I was 25 and liked cock we could of had something" jesus christ pile Ari his Wife and Lloyd into a car for a roadtrip spinoff and watch hilarity unfold. -
I have to wait for the damn dvds. Oh well, gives me something to look foreward to.
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HBO runs this motherfucker. Screw network TV. Let them keep rolling out shitty "reality" shows and let HBO keep winning fucking Emmys and gaining more viewers. Come on, do you REALLY give a shit what no-talent, Z-list tool is fucking Paula Abdul. Memo to the morons: IT'S FUCKING PAULA ABDUL!!
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But lots of HBO series start off kinda' slow, establishing things, and then kick you in the ass. I expect Rome to do the same. I thought Polly Walker was pretty great, and I love Indira Varma, so I can't wait for her to get some good screen time. And yeah, that was the kid from Master & Commander. As far as long term plans, I thought this was just a 12 eps and done thing. .............. Now, Entourage was, as usual, just awesome! God, I just kept waiting for Piven to break into some Jerry Maguire-esque speech, which thankfully never came. It's too bad The comeback is just so God-awful, or HBO would have a great Sunday night thing going.
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Have been the best 75 minutes of television, ever. Each one has surpassed the next... the one where Eric bitched out Ari for the fake painting... the next where Eric bitched out the entire room of brass was even more priceless... and tonight's episode is the best goddamned thing ever. It simply can't get any better. I'm in fucking awe. Dear christ, this show is God.
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But who the f*ck cares? I'm hooked if for nothing else the sheer, alien spectacle of seeing such gratuitous T&A on TV. Add in the lush production values and historical detail and I'm there. All that said, it's going to eat HBO's lunch. I'd be *shocked* if it lasts longer than 2 seasons. It's way to expensive. What they'll try for is another SFU or Sopranos. Speaking of which, I'll be glad when they finally get done with the Sopranos. _ _ _ _ _ _
The Sopranos was like the everyman fantasy. A fat, balding ugly middle aged guy gets lots of hot chicks and gets to be a gangster. Plus the first couple of seasons it had some pretty good dark humor. After a while though, that show just crawled up its own asshole. It got too moody, too boring. The humor which had seemed so refreshing in the first 2 seasons was replaced by a soap opera style which got old very quickly. I no longer cared whether or not Tony and his wife stayed together. The best characters ended up being the guest performances. Joey Pants and Steve Buscemi each added life to the respective seasons they were in. But then they got killed off. I didn't even bother to finish the season. I still don't even know what happened in the finale and frankly, I don't care. Anyways, hows that for a tangent? -
I've now tried to watch that show on 4 separate occasions. I've given it far more of a chance then I would have just because it's an HBO show. But it just suuuucks. Please put it out of its misery. Maybe Lisa Kudrow can make a special guest appearance as naked slave girl #34 in the next season of Rome.
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Ceaser's niece that was given then rejected by pompey for marriage played Victoria in Unleashed didn't she? Pleasently surprised to see her down on all fours...
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It sure is the same girl.
Kerry Condon
http://imdb.com/name/nm0174403/
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I read we were going to be seeing the story from the POV of two Roman footsoldiers. In fact that was the whole selling point. But the pilot has us jumping all over the place, seeing private scenes with the higher-ups like Pompey, Caesar, Marc Anthony, etc. Wasn't bad, exactly, but who are we supposed to relate to? Hopefully this was done just to get the viewer oriented, and future episodes will have a bit more focus. Also, did anyone else notice that the headline for this article completely missed the pun, by writing "Roam If You Want To" instead of "Rome".
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i loved the show. the time period is great and the detail in the pilot was unbelievable. 100 mil for the 12 part series is alot but even if it doesnt last for more than one or 2 seasons im happy. thats at least 20 episodes for 2 seasons.
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And here I thought I was going to be original. That was some funny shit with the whole slight homage to Jerry Maguire, even though Ari is the kind of back dealing bastard that Jay Mohr's character (BTW, Action kicked ass; COB SALAD BITCHES) only wished he could've been. If that show had aired on Fox, it would've been cancelled three times over by now. And for those of complaining about them cancelling Carnivale, name me another network that would've given it more than two seasons. And don't say showtime, lest you bring down comparisons between The Comeback and Fat Actress (or how they cancelled both Dead Like Me and Jeremiah, although the former was much more deserving, both fell into something of a lull in the second seasons, which apparently could be said about Carnivale, this coming from someone who never watched that show). Anyways, Rome was pretty damn good, better than the local reviewer made it out to be, and better than I thought it was at the half-way point. The nephew redeemed himself as being more than just a spoiled brat, he knows his shit and it serves to enlighten the audience as to what has been going on, as otherwise they refused to spoon feed exposition. Ok, I'm off to feed the cat and clean the mouse.
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That was dull...
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Get over it. It wasn't too bad a show i thought.
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Aug 29, 2005 8:41:05 AM CDT
ENTOURAGE Is Terrible, What I've Seen Of THE COMEBACK Is Fun
by zombiesolutions
i like smart, funny women (Kudrow). not too impressed by Marky Mark's inflated sense of producerly importance. maybe if we all got together we could party like some big fat funky bunch. "come on, come on... feewl it, feewl it..." lame.
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Aug 29, 2005 9:16:39 AM CDT
Is it as boring as it looks? BTW Entourage was great tonight. Pi
by mr. profit
Socking Paulie G in the gut was awesome.
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Sorry, but I'm not buying HBO just to watch a series that may get cancelled before it's time. I'll buy the DVDs if I hear good things. It'll be overpriced, but not as bad as buying HBO, loving it the show just before it's cancelled and then having to buy the DVDs anyway and having that HBO bill too. Sorry, disrespect your viewers and you won't get new ones, guys.
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they made such a point of how accurate this series is but they go back to the 1950's style of "Epic" pictures. Yes I am aware that the BBC is involved but come on! It's not the 60's.
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... subscribe for a couple months, then threaten to cancel. I'm paying like 5 bucks a month right now.
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Axing a popular series after the second act is a fucking slap in face for fans. When Carnivale was officially cancelled I had HBO cancelled that very hour. I don't give a flying fuck how much the critics like Rome - I can't watch it in good faith that I'll be able see the story through to the end. Likewise, Deadwood had a very weak second season and I havn't heard anything to suggest that season 3 will get any better. No, HBO can go fuck themselves. Should a Carnivale movie or final season ever manifest itself, I'd consider picking them back up. But at the moment, they're going down the Showtime road of shit programming, rubbish studio politics, and a PR campaign that abuses subscribers and fans.
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Aug 29, 2005 1:33:28 PM CDT
OT: Can someone please tell me if Degrassi Episode 501 and 502 "
by mr. profit
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It has not one single funny thing in it. It's grim...really grim. This should also rate high with the Battlestar Gallactia crowd.
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Yeah finally they actually let the cameras stray below the navel. Full Frontal Female Nudity Rules!
It seemed lately that all they show anymore is a glimpse of T&A, but Rome reintroduces us to the pussy! YAAAH!!! Some pretty decent softcore sex also.
OH Yeah, it was also a pretty good show, makes the rest of the Historical crap Hollywood's churned out lately look pretty lame.
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I'm only paying 2 bucks a month for hbo. When I called in to order it they gave me a deal so I was happy. I just asked if there were any deals going around and they knocked off 10 bucks a month FOR 6 MONTHS. And I know that it wont go on for more than 2 seasons or so. I want it to, it's a great show, but at the price they are paying for it I highly doubt that it will last multiple seasons. I love the time period so I look at it this way: I'm getting 12 kickass episodes either way. The only way I see them making more seasons is if the dvd sales are big.
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Not sure what to make of it. It was definately watchable, but it may take a little time to get into. I loved Carnivale from the first episode, whereas Deadwood took me a few eps to develop an appreciation for (I love it now). I'll put Rome in the later category. I can't not watch it since I've been saying for many years, "I'm so sick of cop, doctor and lawyer shows. Why don't they do something new like put a show in ancient Rome?" Now that they done that, they better not fuck it up. I actually would have preferred them picking a different time period though. Julius Ceasar has been done to death (no pun intended). And I think the accents make it a bit cliched. I don't mind accents in general, but if you're gonna have them for an American show, use accents that make sense, like Italian. I know they made it in conjunction with the BBC, but I'm sure that just means that HBO gave them the money to film it. I have "I, Claudius", it's great, but cheaply made like most British TV, and it just seems weird to me that all Romans, in all shows, have British accents. Thank Gibbon for that, I guess. It's as weird to me as if all portrayed Romans had Japanese accents.......... As for a second season, it may be an expensive show, but you'd figure most of what they need to buy has be bought. It seems like it would be a tremendous waste to not do a second season. Although, I think that premiere wasn't good enough to bring in the level of viewership they're interested in. Only people like us will end up watching this. There's no way that HBO will make their $75 million back from Rome. With so many shows leaving their network, they would have been much better off funding several new shows with that money, hoping for several small hits, instead of putting all their eggs in one basket. I cancelled Showtime because they didn't have enough shows to sustain them. I really hope HBO doesn't make the same mistake (these dumb comedies that nobody watches don't count). Remember HBO, we have Netflix now, your role as a movie channel is obsolete. Please keep your focus on original shows. God knows the networks aren't meeting that need.
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...I think it would work better if they had the patricians have British accents, the equestrians faux British accents of the Madonna variety, and plebs American accents. That would do a little bit to characterize the class issues of the time, and would thereby justify the use of the British accents, which is required more by the "staginess" convention of films about ancient times than anything else. // I have to say one of my favorite parts was when Brutus casually informed Pompey that he was lower-class, in a way that demonstrated it was the utterly natural thing for him to think. Actually, Pompey was in several moments I enjoyed, like the "foot stamping for legions" quote, and the part where he receives a letter from Caesar that is written on wax pressed between two boards instead of on papyrus. Yeah, I know, these are geeky things to have as highlights, but when I sat down to watch this I was expecting a TNT Caesar so the detail work was a succession of neat surprises for me.
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That would be the real Rome. It would keep HBO's status as the cringe network, even after Six Feet Under.
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this is a co-production with the BBC bitches, so is bound to be good
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That's the stupidest thing I've ever fucking read. Ever. Fucking. Ever. I could sort of accept an opinion of not liking Entourage... not really, but it wouldn't bother me enough to label as a dumb motherfucker. But... saying the Comeback is good, in any way what so ever, RIGHT AFTER saying Entourage sucks, no less, makes you the biggest fucking idiot alive.
Anywho, Rome. The only thing that kept me interested was the 2 soldiers... who supposedly the entire series is based around. Let's hope so, because all the other charecters bored me. I'd much rather watch Caesar to see the higher ups do their thing. -
...s'a'ight. I'll watch the next one. Too many characters introduced. TV execs, and some writers and editors evidently, need to realize that the audience (that's us) can handle the unusual and out of the ordinary when it comes to storytelling if it serves the story. In this case I think it would have - I would have rather seen more story with the characters introduced over say, the first three eps, than have it all crammed into an hour. Hot naked woman is always good though. lol. And I like how they set up Ceaser/Pompey storyline. It definitely looks great as well - you CAN see the money. But they must have used it all before they got to the show opening ....because that sucked. Like, Enterprise sucked.
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They spend $100 million, but then the VERY FIRST SCENE is a battle scene shot with about eight guys waving clubs at each other like it's some cheap ass show on the History Channel. OK, sure, they showed legionnaries retiring through the ranks so the next row could take over, and that was cool - but if you can't have more than eight guys fighting, don't do a battle scene at all. It took like fifteen minutes for me to forget the overwhelming impression of cheapness that first scene created. So Jaka's right: if you're going to almost bankrupt a network to make a show, make sure you open with the most-expensive looking scene, not the cheapest-looking one.
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I like your idea about accents, it would make it interesting to split the cast along these perceived 'class' or national lines. It does seem weird in these types of movie/TV show that you have people who are apparently of the same caste talking with a variety of accents. Then again, the Roman empire was huge and there were fuckers at all levels from all over. Actually, it seemed they were trying to do something similar to what you suggest in Stone's Alexander, with the rowdy Macedonians all having rowdy Irish accents. But that was shit so let's not talk about it. Anyway it's a co-production with the BBC so it's stuffed full of Brit actors, including Elgin's finest Kevin McKidd. But let's be honest - as much as it's a cliche to hear people talking in Brit accents, people would sneer if they spoke in North American accents, not just in the UK but in the States as well. There's still some weird thing that everyone in the olden days talked like Hugh Grant. "Oh bugger Brutus, some frightful senator's gone and stabbed me." As much as I hate that shit I have to admit that it would bug me if they didn't at least put on a fake accent. All that money and no plummy Brit accent? Go fuck yourself HBO. How about this - the UK actors have to put on US accents and the US actors have to put on brit accents. That way you know they're making an effort commensurate with the megabudget. Incidentally, I like that they've stuffed it full of sex too. 80% of the internet is porn - when you spend all that money on a TV show you'd better hope you're serving people's dirty desires as well
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Entourage used to be quite good, but has fallen far due to inconsistency and just laughable scenes. IMO it was a big mistake showing any of the clips from "Queens Boulevard" if they weren't going to make fun of it. The movie looks like ass, and Grenier is an awful actor, so they kind of stripped away any of the mystery as to why this douchebag is a star. Billy Walsh is fucking hilarious though "What's up Suit?" Then they fuck his character up by having him love some awful rap song, when he really wanted to score the movie with a sitar. Mandy Moore is just terrible, the guy who plays Eric is such an annoyingly bad actor with no presence or believability. Starting with the Sundance episode the series has gone way downhill, the one exception being the bar mitzvah episode. Smoke more weed Turtle, seriously, smoke more weed. I'd love to just see a show about Ari, Drama, and Turtle, cause Eric and Vince are just awful. And fuck Rome, such boring shit.
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It's already the best show HBO has to offer.
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i know there will be some man-loving, but was i hallucinating or did the promo quickly flash 2 girls lying closely together in bed like they were getting it on?
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Sep 01, 2005 9:56:41 AM CDT
Carnivale was incredibly boring...HBO was right to cancel that g
by welther47
Rome, on the other hand, is fucking great. Entourage is fucking great. The Comeback is horrible. Sopranos is and has always been the King of TV. Looking forward to new Curb and new Wire. Seth Bullock needs to die, and then Deadwood would be perfect. Until then, it's somewhere in the middle of all this.
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