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Amazon releases 10 new television pilots (Prime Instant Video/LOVEFiLM)
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LostInNoise
Member
I was watching it while working so I wasn't really paying that close of attention but I don't think there was. Plus it's only 27 minutes or so.
It was horrendous. For a start it's far too long and the fact we start with some random French chick seeing her go about her day that has nothing to do with anything makes the start of the pilot torture to sit through.
It looks horribly cheap. The production values reminded me of a cheap syndicated drama from the 90's. The CGI for the
laughable looking Demonic..., thing (clearly a nod to The Exorcist)
It's filled with swearing and a little gratuitous nudity that just seem tacked on for no other reason than to try and differentiate it from broadcast TV.
There's a really obnoxious Irish character who just drinks, picks fights and generally acts like a total cock. It's stereotypical and horribly lazy writing.
On the plus side Jamie Kennedy is actually quite good in this and his character is perhaps the most interesting. The fact Carter manages to make Kennedy seem relatable in this is pretty amazing. Adrian Pasdar doesn't really stretch himself any but is good none the less.
But this pilot just seems well below broadcast TV standards and the stories about Amazon Studios giving producers miniscule budgets to work with seems true. All in all The After just felt really flat. Poor writing. Poor execution.
All in all it's really poor. I gave 1 and a half stars.
Napoleonthechimp
Member
It was absolutely overly long and the characters spent far too much time in the parking garage for no real reason. I gave it some leeway when it came to production values because it's an Amazon pilot and to be honest I kept on watching primarily because it's Chris Carter and I half-expected some kind of payoff toward the end.
Also: Poor CGI.
That's who it was! Throughout it I kept on thinking of him as looking like Jamie Kennedy but I dismissed it because he was actually good in this role.
How fitting that a sad clown is the perfect role for him.
I was the same until I saw him out of his clown make up and then it was "I forgot he was in this"....,
Evidently the only work Kennedy could get was playing the third lead (?) in a Amazon Studios pilot.
How the 'mighty' have fallen.
just finished it.
i thought it turned into a comedy in the end when they went outside. so so so bad.
wtf chris carter
metsallica
Member
Jeez, didn't expect such mixed impressions! Guess I'll see for myself in the next few days...
InaudibleWhispa
Member
Yep, I thought The After was pretty terrible too. It's a shame because I love a lot of Carters stuff and the premise intrigues me but most of the characters and the writing are just bad. The production values I can forgive, but a couple of hours after America is in chaos and people are dying they're drinking and laughing on a balcony and having a swim while smoke billows from the city below.
I was just given no sense that anything major was happening to the general populace, who seem to like to make comments about it being "like the end of the world" but offering no clarification aside from a moan about a power outage and an ominous noise. It made FlashForward and The Event look good.
I was just given no sense that anything major was happening to the general populace, who seem to like to make comments about it being "like the end of the world" but offering no clarification aside from a moan about a power outage and an ominous noise. It made FlashForward and The Event look good.
piratepwnsninja
Member
Yeah, really liked The Rebels. Hope it gets the go ahead. A little bit of Major League, a little bit of The Replacements, didn't overstay its welcome in a single episode.
ugh, horrible flat characters, predictable jumps and scares no hook that would make me want to watch the second episode. fail
petethepanda
Member
Bosch was alright. The After is pretty damn intriguing, first show like this since Lost that I didn't immediately hate.
I liked and voted up 'The After'. It's the only Amazon show that interests me at this point. I understand the complaints in regards to The After and I would definitely say I agree with most of them. The show could have been much better. Still has me interested and I would be willing to watch more should it get picked up.
It's crazy how television is gradually changing. These companies (Tech or not) are fingering traditional networks and showing, this is what the user wants so we're gonna provide the content AND distribute it how they would like it. Then blowing our minds of how successful the model is. Amazing.
Father_Brain
Banned
Good lord, the writing, acting and production values in The After are just terrible.
Mozart in the Jungle: Good, not great, has potential. Leads seem well cast.
Mozart in the Jungle: Good, not great, has potential. Leads seem well cast.
Fantastical
Death Prophet
Only watched the previews, but this at least looks better than last year's garbage. Just thinking back to Zombieland makes me cringe.
teruterubozu
Member
I watched The After, Bosch and Mozart in the Jungle.
The After - Typical post-apocalypse scenario. They're going for an ensemble Lost/Walking Dead kind of feel. The pacing was slightly draggy. I felt the final cliffhanger was really forced and corny - obviously it was a deliberate attempt to garner votes. Not bad, but they could use a more significant budget if they want to maintain the whole sci-fi edge.
Bosch - This one's a slow burner. Titus Welliver is great as always and pretty much carries the whole show. They go for a LA Noir/LA Confidential style feel - lots of L.A. neighborhoods and jazz music. I enjoyed it but I'm afraid the slow-burn nature of the show may put some people off. This is the kind of show that needs 3 or 4 episodes to really get going so the pilot only method may be self-defeating. TV watchers will recognize MANY actors.
Mozart in the Jungle - Billed as "sex, drugs and classical". Lots of classical, barely any drugs (just pot) and hardly any sex. It's supposed to be a comedy too. I have mixed feelings about this one. It definitely has the Jason Schwartzman vibe, which I like, and the classical angle is genius, but the characters are kinda pee-brained fraternity/sorority types. Malcolm McDowell plays Malcolm McDowell.
All in all a much better effort this time around and it makes watching the pilots more enjoyable (instead of painful like the last pilot season). I wouldn't mind seeing extra episodes for all 3 actually. I'll check out the other 2 tonight. My kid is gonna rate the kids shows.
The After - Typical post-apocalypse scenario. They're going for an ensemble Lost/Walking Dead kind of feel. The pacing was slightly draggy. I felt the final cliffhanger was really forced and corny - obviously it was a deliberate attempt to garner votes. Not bad, but they could use a more significant budget if they want to maintain the whole sci-fi edge.
Bosch - This one's a slow burner. Titus Welliver is great as always and pretty much carries the whole show. They go for a LA Noir/LA Confidential style feel - lots of L.A. neighborhoods and jazz music. I enjoyed it but I'm afraid the slow-burn nature of the show may put some people off. This is the kind of show that needs 3 or 4 episodes to really get going so the pilot only method may be self-defeating. TV watchers will recognize MANY actors.
Mozart in the Jungle - Billed as "sex, drugs and classical". Lots of classical, barely any drugs (just pot) and hardly any sex. It's supposed to be a comedy too. I have mixed feelings about this one. It definitely has the Jason Schwartzman vibe, which I like, and the classical angle is genius, but the characters are kinda pee-brained fraternity/sorority types. Malcolm McDowell plays Malcolm McDowell.
All in all a much better effort this time around and it makes watching the pilots more enjoyable (instead of painful like the last pilot season). I wouldn't mind seeing extra episodes for all 3 actually. I'll check out the other 2 tonight. My kid is gonna rate the kids shows.
Gaf_SentMe
Member
So far I've seen Mozart and Bosch. Love Mozart and enjoyed the slow burn that is Bosch. 2/2
Amazon will most likely pick those 2 up.
Amazon will most likely pick those 2 up.
teruterubozu
Member
Yeah those two will receive the green light for sure. The After seems to be getting the most criticism out of the 5.
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
Lovefilm doesn't interest me at all, I subscribed to Netflix after the free trial ran out and haven't looked back.
To be honest, I'd be more interested in subscribing to the £5 NowTV service alongside it, and that would more or less completely sort me in terms of TV.
To be honest, I'd be more interested in subscribing to the £5 NowTV service alongside it, and that would more or less completely sort me in terms of TV.
Wiktor
Member
I kind of like such experimentation. It's something fresh and new. Some nice things might grow out of this.
Also Netflix's method didn't stop them from producing the garbage that Hemlock Grove was, so it's not exactly fool proof.
I prefer if different competitors take different approaches. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet: I certainly prefer PC Gaming to console gaming, for example, in huge part because every piece of crap game can get "published" and nobody can stop them. I prefer the modern world of writing where more and more people can self publish. I prefer the music world now that the big three studios no longer have quite the stranglehold on the industry that they once did.
You may not agree, I don't know. And perhaps the same benefits we see in those other industries won't apply to TV. Perhaps this "semi open" approach (since the pilots do still have to be made through a centralized studio like Amazon) won't yield the same benefits. I'm certainly willing to give it a chance, however, because I almost always prefer more open platforms to more closed, filtered ones.
teruterubozu
Member
I was skeptical at first but it's actually kinda fun to have vested interest in a show's success.
After watching these I give Lovefilm credit, they're getting there. Honestly, Netflix has 2 quality shows right now - HoC and Orange (I haven't seen Lillyhammer) - Lovefilm isn't exactly fighting impossible odds in that regard.
BertramCooper
Banned
I very much like the idea of writers outside of the Hollywood system getting the chance to develop their concepts into legitimate television series. That's what Amazon Studios' original goal appeared to be - and it was certainly an admirable one.
But in reality, Amazon seems to be largely developing mid- to low-quality shows from traditional industry players that nobody else wanted. At least that's the impression I'm getting.
pokeystaples
Banned
Watched Transparent last night. It is darkly comic and damn enjoyable. There is some nudity, but nothing too ridiculous. I hope they pick it up. It's the first Amazon show I actually want to come back to. Did it feel like a pilot? Yes. But I'm interested in the characters and even if I can see where things are headed, I'm prepared to ride the ride.
Amazon has one of the crappiest video players and their app, at least on PS4, is pretty miserable compared to Hulu or Netflix.
Amazon has one of the crappiest video players and their app, at least on PS4, is pretty miserable compared to Hulu or Netflix.
Yes, that could be. I just wanted to emphasize that the nature of an open platform (or at least, more open platform) is that there will be a lot more crap because there is less of a filtering process.
Open platforms have upsides and downsides.
Transparent feels like a stereotypical indie production that has these "deeply" flawed, everyone's a mess type of characters (all of whom find solace in something sexual) who have no exposition or buildup - their problems are made evident early on and are thrown at you simultaneously.
I didn't like it. If The Rebels doesn't make me laugh, I don't think I'm going to bother with the other pilots.
I didn't like it. If The Rebels doesn't make me laugh, I don't think I'm going to bother with the other pilots.
teruterubozu
Member
I just watched those. They're the weaker of the bunch, IMO. You should at least check out Bosch and Mozart.
The Rebels - Terrible. The whole Howie-Jimmie-Terry thing right from the get-go was so corny. I like Natalie Zea in Justified but she can't carry this one. The slapstick humor and dialogue was cringe-worthy. I lasted about 11 minutes - the only one of the 5 I couldn't finish.
Transparent - The pilot is weak but I can see this improving over time. The show was obviously written to showcase Gaby Hoffman, who I thought was really good in Crystal Fairy & The Magic Cactus - she deserves a solid role. The problem is absolutely NOTHING happens in this episode. The improv nature of the show means that the cast needs to develop a chemistry and it's kinda shaky here. I see potential but it's not my favorite of the 5.
So yeah here's my ranking:
1. Bosch
2. Mozart
3. Transparent
4. The After
5. The Rebels
Napoleonthechimp
Member
Taste is subjective but... damn. I completely disagree with your thoughts on The Rebels.
teruterubozu
Member
I can see how people will like it. It's the only pilot that has the slapstick humor element and that can go both ways for people. Believe me, I wanted to like it - any excuse to watch more Justified girl.
Honestly though I wouldn't mind seeing any one of these expanded into a full series. Much better than Betas or Alpha House.
a secret-boss
Banned
The After is borderline bad. I kinda like the hook, because at least its not like oh its Revolution.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
On second thought, I think I might pass on The After unless Amazon picks it up for a full season. I don't really have an hour to waste on something I probably won't like.
I still want to watch Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent though.
I still want to watch Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent though.
teruterubozu
Member
So IMDB scores are appearing for the pilots.
So far:
Bosch - 9.5/10
Mozart - 8.6/10
Rebels - 8.5/10
The After - 7.8/10
Transparent - 7.7/10
Bosch and Mozart will definitely be greenlit for sure, The Rebels is looking good too.
The After and Transparent will duke it out for survival. I'm afraid The After may pass since a sci-fi show is likely to garner more viewers. I really wish people would give Transparent a chance.
So far:
Bosch - 9.5/10
Mozart - 8.6/10
Rebels - 8.5/10
The After - 7.8/10
Transparent - 7.7/10
Bosch and Mozart will definitely be greenlit for sure, The Rebels is looking good too.
The After and Transparent will duke it out for survival. I'm afraid The After may pass since a sci-fi show is likely to garner more viewers. I really wish people would give Transparent a chance.
Vert boil
Member
Finally worked my way through all of the prime time pilots.
Bosch: Potentially interesting story, (
) but they would have to recast the majority of the roles for me to bother with it.
The After: Okay start but
my eyes started rolling. If it was a new show it would be dropped harder than The Following.
Mozart in the Jungle: Pretty good. I'd at least give it a few episodes to see if they did something more than relationship BS.
The Rebels: Natalie Zea
but the pilot was a complete zero.
Transparent: OMG! We made a totes indie tv show!!
Bosch: Potentially interesting story, (
I'd like to know if the bodies and the perp that was killed were linked
The After: Okay start but
when they got out
I'm surprised the banger chick didn't have a fake stache as well.
Mozart in the Jungle: Pretty good. I'd at least give it a few episodes to see if they did something more than relationship BS.
The Rebels: Natalie Zea
but the pilot was a complete zero.Transparent: OMG! We made a totes indie tv show!!
a secret-boss
Banned
Bosch is good
Is that the female red head from 24?
Is that the female red head from 24?
teruterubozu
Member
They should recast Bosch's boss. That dude is basically replaying his role as Broyles from Fringe.
I really enjoyed the After. Could see it developing into a cool program.
Bosch seemed fairly generic. It could end up getting pretty good, but not convinced yet.
Mozart was pretty boring. It had potential, but the pilot felt somewhat directionless.
Transparent was also directionless, but finally started to come together towards the end. Enjoyed the last 10 minutes of it. Reminded me of a gayer/older version of 'Whatever this is'
However, watching those geico commercials at the beginning was shit. If I have to pay for prime and still watch commercials, I'm out.
I'd rank as:
The After
Transparent
Bosch
The Rebels
Mozart
Bosch seemed fairly generic. It could end up getting pretty good, but not convinced yet.
Mozart was pretty boring. It had potential, but the pilot felt somewhat directionless.
Transparent was also directionless, but finally started to come together towards the end. Enjoyed the last 10 minutes of it. Reminded me of a gayer/older version of 'Whatever this is'
However, watching those geico commercials at the beginning was shit. If I have to pay for prime and still watch commercials, I'm out.
I'd rank as:
The After
Transparent
Bosch
The Rebels
Mozart
People didn't like Transparent? It was pretty effortless pilot -- the dialog was perfectly colloquially and the characters' rapport and family dynamic was convincing. Moreso than maybe the start of Parenthood, this felt like a family. The subject matter is also timely -- I think it's about time that we started to have trans characters on television that were stock -- and it's got a great cast the material necessitates.
I haven't watched the other 4 yet, but Transparent was extremely strong. Highly recommended.
I haven't watched the other 4 yet, but Transparent was extremely strong. Highly recommended.
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