The Carnivale Thread

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http://www.hbo.com/carnivale/

Did anyone else catch the debut? I was neither sober enough nor messed up enough to make sense of it, but it sure was pretty.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I was left with the impression . . . the only way I can say it is "trying too hard."

― Lee G (Lee G), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I wanna see this.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 15 September 2003 16:06 (twenty-two years ago)

trying too hard is right, but the previews for next week looked more promising than this. It did look good, but I can't get over that this is kind of a second-rate attempt (Adrienne Barbeau? Really?) to conjure twin-peaks/Vertigo Comix nostalgia.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Monday, 15 September 2003 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

But I do have Twin Peaks nostalgia!

I totally see the trying too hard point, but the visuals are so stunning! And we haven't had a good depression-era fixation since, what, the 60s? It's a very interesting period in history, and I think it will have resonance with Americans who are having financial troubles and (a) want to romanticise them (b) want a reality check.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 15 September 2003 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah I can see all that, I'm hoping that it gets better. Maybe I just got tired of seeing the same clips over and over in the commercials, so when I did see them in the show, I was a little bored. My favorite part: the woman vomiting coins.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Monday, 15 September 2003 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it looked nice, as well, but was kind of sluggish and also trying to hard to be David Lynch without Lynch's sensibility. When Lynch is successfully weird, the weirdness seems to coming from everyday stuff. The weird in Carnivale is a little too obvious (I'd give examples here, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to see it). So far. The preview for the next episode looks promising, and the debut was good enough for me to watch a couple more and see where it's headed.

It did make me want to read some Flannery O'Connor today, and that can't be bad.

― Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose), Monday, 15 September 2003 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

You're not Charlie Rose!! I can tell cause you're not fawningly obsequious enough

I'm reading The Thurber Carnival, it's great

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 15 September 2003 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

You're totally right. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.

― Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose), Monday, 15 September 2003 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Now I'm not so sure

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 15 September 2003 18:02 (twenty-two years ago)

i have fallen in erotic infatuation with nick stahl.

― anthony easton (anthony), Monday, 15 September 2003 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

the visuals on all these tony HBO shows are pretty but kind of overbearing.

yeah nick stahl is hott and amazing. when he first showed up i was confused because i knew a kid from high school with the same name, who was neither hott nor amazing nor an actor.

― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 15 September 2003 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Just caught the second episode. Really, really liking this so far. Reminds me more of American Gothic than Twin Peaks, although the similarities are not very deep in either case (Twin Peaks was very much about "weird things in normal-seeming places," though, which is the main reason this isn't hitting a Lynchian chord for me).

Its biggest flaw for me is if the Reverend turns out to be the Evil Guy. That's just tired. (Although there are new ways to do it that aren't yet ruled out.)

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 23 September 2003 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

This movie did it better

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 23 September 2003 05:01 (twenty-two years ago)

They're completely different!

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 23 September 2003 10:32 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

If anyone wants to catch up, HBO2 (I think; one of the digital HBOs) is running a marathon of the seven (?) episodes thus far, followed by tonight's new one. Episode one just started, at least in Indiana Timezone.

― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 November 2003 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I have totally lost interest in this series.

― teeny (teeny), Sunday, 2 November 2003 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm not able to get into it.

― A Girl Named Sam (thatgirl), Sunday, 2 November 2003 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

It's slow, and I'm not sure yet if it's going to pay off in the end -- but I'm digging it. Every once in awhile I'll think a shot looks like it was taken right out of a Tarsem (sp?) video, though.

― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 2 November 2003 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

i've seen three episodes so far (love that hbo on demand), but i'm still not hooked. i'm frustrated that it's not better, because it has so much promise. something's just off about it.

― lauren (laurenp), Sunday, 2 November 2003 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

it is definitely taking its time which I appreciate, but boy it is very, very slow at times, and as a result, it gets difficult to remember what the hell happened five hours ago (there are things about the scutter back story I'm sure are important but I can't remember any of them, like that woman in the house, etc..). I get the feeling that it knows where it's going and isn't just meandering around, but maybe the series could have been shorter. I know it was first written as a two hour movie so perhaps there's been a lot of padding. But the last two episodes were pretty good. All the previews for upcoming episodes are very misleading, making it look like the next episode is action packed when in fact it never is.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Sunday, 2 November 2003 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I really dug the raining blood bit for some reason...that pulled me in. I mean, who doesn't appreciate a good spat of bloodfall, right? Must be a pain to clean out of your clothes though, esp. when wearing white.

I agree it is often methodically slow, but still beats the hell out of the majority of the junk on the regular stations. no HBO, so I must wait for dwnload...which are sooooo slow.

― franz (bigF), Sunday, 2 November 2003 23:56 (twenty-one years ago)

hi franz!

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 3 November 2003 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

hey!

― franz (bigF), Monday, 3 November 2003 00:46 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

this reminds me, working my way through season 1, of the polish brothers.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

but darker.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

drier, less dreamy.

haha sorry there is something of the polish bros. about it, a similar ball-park, um, aesthetic.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i still haven't watched the final four episodes of this. they aren't in order on my tapes, so I'm afraid I'll get totally lost.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...

All I do at night is watch this show.

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 23 December 2004 17:41 (twenty years ago)

it's not very good though?

― cºzen (Cozen), Thursday, 23 December 2004 17:44 (twenty years ago)

The dwarf is my new hero.

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 23 December 2004 17:49 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Season Two is wiping the floor with Season One.

GHOST TOAST MOM!

― Michael Stuchbery (Mikey Bidness), Thursday, 3 February 2005 21:13 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

Carnivale has been axed.

According to HBO, it will not return for a third season.

― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 12:33 (twenty years ago)

did they resolve anything in the second? I couldn't make myself watch it

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

not really... the "Big Showdown" was kinda anticlimatic. I was expecting the Apocalypse, and all I got was a standard dust-up. The whole series was one slow-mo cliffhanger to nowhere. Too bad, cuase there was so much promise...

― The Sensational Sulk (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 13:11 (twenty years ago)

Had they known it was only going to be two episodes, they could have wrapped it up, but dum spiro spero, they elected to tease us instead. Still, I enjoyed it. Best hillbilly American Gothic production design ever.

― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

That tar-and-feather sequence was pretty harrowing.

― The Sensational Sulk (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

My physics teacher at college was called Mr Carnivale, and very nice he was too.

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 19:05 (twenty years ago)

Is this even close to as beyond-amazing as the episode summaries make it seem?

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 19:12 (twenty years ago)

no, it was an excercise in frustration

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 19:31 (twenty years ago)

yes it was great.

― f-a-b-o-l-o-u-s (adamwest), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 19:33 (twenty years ago)

seven months pass...

I have come back from self-enforced ILXile to say...

OMG CARNIVALE IS SUCH SHIT!

that is all.

― [use of street parade as pivotal set piece] (nordicskilla), Friday, 6 January 2006 03:43 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, yes it does remind me of the Polish Brothers' Northfork...which was also criminally bad.

THAT is all.

― [use of street parade as pivotal set piece] (nordicskilla), Friday, 6 January 2006 03:43 (nineteen years ago)

Just one last thing -

I do admire also the attempt at what kyle calls "Vertigo comix nostalgia", but my goodness what an ugly hodge-podge of a show.

These will be my final words on the subject.

― [tuvan throat singer's profound lyric sheet-must read again] (nordicskilla), Friday, 6 January 2006 03:48 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

I don't understand the dislike of this show. I just finished the last episode of season two, and it is painful knowing there won't be any more of them.

I will bitterly think of this show's cancellation while I suffer through any "reality" TV I get stuck watching. And fuck 24 and fuck Lost. This show was great. The world is unfair. Waaa.

― josh in sf (stfu kthx), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 07:42 (nineteen years ago)

Bring on August, I say. (Region 2 DVD box set)

And fuck 24 and fuck Lost.

Don't know about that (have been able to avoid seeing those, will decide if I'm going to later on, after the hype has subsided and the real opinions surface), but your Waaa is OTM. To point out only one thing: this is the most beautifully filmed TV series ever. The light, the colors, the photography: too good for the masses, unfortunately.

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 07:51 (nineteen years ago)

I really enjoyed the first seasons of 24 and Lost, actually. Slight overreaction on my part.

I agree wholeheartedly about it being the most beautifully filmed TV series ever. The costumes and special effects are superb as well. I guess it's not really any surprise that a show with this kind of budget didn't last. I just wish they could have finished the story. As much as I loved the second season, it felt rushed compared to the first one. Like they knew it wasn't going to last. I'll buy the box set without a doubt.

― josh in sf (stfu kthx), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 15:09 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

Just started ep 3, this is pretty good!! Really enjoying the way all the supernatural phenomenon are presented as casual and unspectacular. Also loving Clea DuVall. Strengthening my idea that HBO programming really is in a league of its own.

― kate moss and heavy machinery in a dessert (Stevie D), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:27 (fifteen years ago)

I worked with her a long time ago; nice lady.

― Enfonce bien tes ongles et tes doigts délicats dans la jungle de (Michael White), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:58 (fifteen years ago)

Really, really rated this. Frustrating to know that there were long term plots sketched out that would have continued the series for several moreseries. (I have box-sets, and as far as I remember this was in the extras.) I imagine the rights are tied up, or they would have emerged by now, in one format or another.

Incidentally, if you think you know the voice of the preacher man villain, you probably do, but I won't spoil it for you.

― Soukesian, Tuesday, 12 January 2010 20:19 (fifteen years ago)

This is one of those shows where I strongly suggest NOT watching the DVD extras. Depressingly dorky.

― Fig On A Plate Cart (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 20:55 (fifteen years ago)

This really was a beautifully shot series, I don't think it has ever been surpassed in terms of the look of the show.

Unfortunately, it was just painfully slow. I never was able to truly enjoy it as much as I wanted to because the story was just too convoluted and dragged too much.

I wish that HBO could make a series that was as easy on the eyes, but with a plot to match.

― Moodles, Tuesday, 12 January 2010 22:09 (fifteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

Yeah it's starting to drag a bit. Just finished S2E4. Starting to get a little fucked up.

― 26 Mixes Focaccia (Stevie D), Saturday, 6 February 2010 01:18 (fifteen years ago)

I saw a few random eps in the middle of S2 the other night. Enjoyed it, but I haven't seen any of that show in such a long time. It was neat getting reacquainted .

― Möbius dick (╓abies), Saturday, 6 February 2010 01:21 (fifteen years ago)

Are there any shows on HBO now that have similarly strong production values? Trying to figure out what should be the next series I rent from Netflix.

― Moodles, Saturday, 6 February 2010 01:25 (fifteen years ago)

two years pass...

Nick Stahl reported missing

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/nick-stahl-missing-termin_n_1520604.html

― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 16 May 2012 17:22 (thirteen years ago)

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