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Herc Says BORED TO DEATH Doesn't Fully Defy Its Title!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Scripted by novelist Jonathan Ames (“Wake Up, Sir”), HBO’s “Bored To Death” stars Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore,” “Shopgirl,” “Marie Antoinette,” “The Darjeeling Limited,” “Funny People”) as Jonathan Ames, a pot dealer/novelist who, reeling from a break-up, impulsively advertises himself as a private detective on Craigslist.
Co-stars include Zack Galifianakis (“The Hangover,” “G-Force”), Ted Danson (“Damages”) and my luscious 94-pound girlfriend, "Juno" star Olivia Thirlby:
I confess I love the cast (both Oliver Platt and Jim Jarmusch turn up in episode three!) a lot more than I like the scripting.
The second episode, guest-starring the ubiquitous and always solid Kristen Wiig, features a seemingly impossible coincidence which struck me as insanely lazy. I suspect there’s ample evidence here that the real Ames smokes a lot of weed and hopes his audience is doing the same.
Of the first three episodes the third was my favorite, mostly because it gave Galifiankis’ character a lot more to do. A funny snippet from that installment:
SCHWARTZMAN: She’s only 16 years old. Nearly 17. Nearly 17.
GALIFIANAKIS: You didn’t sodomize her, did you?
SCHWARTZMAN: No!
GALIFIANAKIS: That’s too bad.
USA Today says:
… TV that's tailor-made for people who hate TV. It won't make you laugh, but it will make you feel hipper than the room, and for some, that will be enough. …
Time Magazine says:
… Bored to Death is good, very good —but it's pilot isn't, so it wouldn't be terrible to miss it or see it late. …
The New York Times says:
… a droll, Brooklyn hipster spin on the genre … s idiosyncratic and delightful in its own way as “Curb Your Enthusiasm” …
The New York Daily News says:
Jonathan Ames may be bored to death, but that's no reason he has to take the rest of us with him. … You want smack him and tell him to go sit down. And if you did, he probably would.
The Newark Star Ledger says:
… It's a comedy that's so dry, you may need to have a canteen by your side to watch it. It's also very uneven (I liked half the episodes I've seen, and found the title too apt for the other half), but buoyed by supporting performances from Ted Danson as Schwartzman's Peter Pan complex of a boss and Zach Galifinakis from "The Hangover" as Schwartzman's best friend. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… The original story is a fairly commonplace exercise in postmodern noir in which an idle gesture leads to violence and murder; the series, which is easily my favorite of the fall season, is something much better -- a shaggy-dog comedy that floats on a cloud of fuzzy romantic optimism, the underlying energy of a location-shot fairy tale New York City, and the talents of its art-house leads …
The Washington Post says:
… "Bored to Death" has earned some advance raves, but I wonder whether that's just because it's a new HBO comedy with writerly bona fides and is about people in Brooklyn who subsist on freelance artistic endeavors and constantly spill their woes in coffee shops. I was turned off by "Flight of the Conchords" at first, too, but plenty of people loved that series, and it showed more instant spark and charm than "Bored to Death." It's also possible that my hipster shield is cranked up too high these days, but who can blame me? It's been a long decade of loser coolness. Schwartzman plays Jonathan with the lackadaisical attitude of most of his roles, at once sweet and creepy but ultimately underwhelming. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… it may be Schwartzman's best role yet, and the half-hour "Bored to Death" episodes roll by all too quickly. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
It's tempting to say HBO's "Bored to Death" lives up to its title, but that's not entirely true. Sunday's premiere (at 9:30 p.m.) is a little dull, but future episodes have more entertainment value. Still, you have to be a fan of neuroses humor for "Bored" to have much comedic impact. …
The Boston Globe says:
… amusing … I’m happy Schwartzman has found a vehicle that’s droll enough to capture his sensibility, but not too precious or willfully quirky. His previous foray in TV, Fox’s “Cracking Up,’’ was too broad to showcase his low-key gifts, and the movies in which he shines (such as Steve Martin’s “Shopgirl’’) are few and far between. …
Variety says:
… the series proves too precious and quirky for its own good. Of the handful of episodes previewed, only the third -- which conspicuously departs from the basic premise -- exhibits the madcap attitude that the first two reach for and miss, and by then, it's a little late to stave off unflattering reviews invoking the title.…
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… the humor is so subdued and the stories so unsurprising that there is nothing to divert your attention from the fact that you're watching someone whose life is far less interesting than your own. … "Bored" prefers droll to funny. Almost implicit in its tone is the attitude that viewers should be satisfied merely hanging out with the literati of New York, flawed though they might be, and not hope for compelling stories and charismatic characters, as well. …
9:30 p.m. Sunday. HBO.
From The Guy Who Wrote
The Making of Star Wars
And The Guy Who Wrote
Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays!!
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A charisma black hole. Yuck.
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That was weird. I meant to type 'Jason Schwartzman'.I'm not even stoned.
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I can believe it, it doesn't seem like he'd keep saying it if it wasn't true, but it also seems like BS cause hes bragging so hard. Girls don't like that. I can't imagine she enjoys reading her boyfriend describe as a "luscious 94 pounder" while bragging to the nerds on his site...that makes you sound like a pervert.
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Anyways, it is Zach Galifianakis. Not whatever the hell it is you typed, Herc.
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I'm also dating Shannyn Sossamon and Natalie Portman at the same time. They don't mind sharing me since they're both so in love.
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The target audience for this show.
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It SUUUUUUUUUCKS.
It's beyond annoying. Its a show about a bunch of people I'd never talk to basically outlining just why I'd never talk to them. -
Sep 20, 2009 10:36:44 AM CDT
Joss Whedon pissed himself at the Swedish Dollhouse pemiere!
by disgruntled_chinaman
That's all.
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The dumbest word in the English language. Next to emo.
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who would have guessed why does he even review anything? get a new reviewer harry this guy is tired out and biased towards reality shows get him to stick to interviews or something
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NYC & San Francisco get it. The rest of the Grey's Anatomy-loving country doesn't get it and has nothing to say but to call it "hipster." Note to self: Watch anything that dopey critics call "hipster."
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I like everything Herc does not.
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Is how easy it is to make sweeping genearlizations without a shred of proof.
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...jesus fuck niglets
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fucking shitty dialogue written by Diablo Cody is hipster. Shitty bands like Animal Collective and the Shins are hipster.
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I could see this show becoming better with time. And it's nice to see Schwartzman in a role that fits him.
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by my standards. Loved the back and forth w/ Teddy and Jason in the bathroom. Very funny and sadly true about men and women differences. After reading some of the critics above I was expecting a dud, but it wasn't' bad and I hope it gets better from here on out. I can see why some would say it's a little yuppious(sp?) but not hipster.
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to make Galifianakis stop happening? The guy is everywhere and I'm sorry, but he isn't that funny. Go ahead, tell me his stand up is genius and I just don't get it. I love Cross, Oswalt and even Louis CK, but Galifianakis is just a dud. Check out the clip where Will Arnett roasts him at some 92nd St. Y event. Arnett is hysterical, Galifianakis just sits there. Also great is the clip where he has some poor dumb woman who isn't paying enough attention to his routine come up on stage so he can insult her for 20 minutes. Genius. The hangover was fine, but couldn't you really put any deadpan fat guy in that role?
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Great cast, awful writing, and so boring I could hardly believe it.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
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As for Schwartzman. I can't get past that mole. But without it, he's have NO personality.
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and it isn't hipster...at all
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