The Leftovers

Started by MacGuffin, April 29, 2014, 08:29:47 AM

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MacGuffin






'The Leftovers': HBO Orders Series From Damon Lindelof Based On Tom Perrotta's Bestseller

HBO has ordered Damon Lindelof's adaptation of Tom Perrotta's "The Leftovers" to series. The project is set up at Warner Bros. Television, where Lindelof is under an overall deal, through his Adventure Corps production company.

The order is for a 10-episode freshman season, and will mark Lindelof's first TV project since the conclusion of ABC's "Lost." Lindelof will serve as showrunner, while Perrotta, Peter Berg, Sarah Aubrey, Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger are also on board as executive producers. Lindelof and Perotta co-wrote the pilot script, and Berg is set to direct.

In "The Leftovers," the Rapture happens -- but not quite like it's supposed to. It tells the story of the people who didn't make the cut, and a world that will never be the same. The project stars Justin Theroux as Kevin, "the police chief who's trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in a world that is beginning to reject that notion," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Liv Tyler also makes her TV debut as Meg, "a young woman about to be married who needs an escape. She becomes a target for recruitment by members of an enigmatic cult."

The rest of the cast includes Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd, Michael Gaston, Max Carver, Charlie Carver, Annie Q, Paterson Joseph and Brad Leland.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

©brad

This actually looks good!

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

I just hope they don't throw a bunch of mysteries together and barely answer them...again.

diggler

I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Kal

Did anyone see this? I haven't yet but been hearing it's really good. Would love to get some other opinions before I check it out!


Drenk

I liked it. It's a pilot and pilots are weird, but this one had a vibe I liked; the story and the characters can lead to something great. I'm excited for the next episode.
Ascension.

polkablues

I haven't had a chance to sit down and watch it yet, but I hear its super bleak, so I'm looking forward to it.  Out of context, those last two clauses together would look bizarre.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Jeremy Blackman

It has potential. I'll watch at least another episode or two. Much depends on where they're going with things. I'm not sure it could hold my interest without some serious developments happening very soon, even if that's only the emergence of a mythology.

The show does have a few problems... 25-year-old high school students, a sullen teen stock character, and various other things that could metastasize into real annoyances.

The execution is good, though, and Justin Theroux is solid.

Quote from: polkablues on June 30, 2014, 08:51:53 PM
I haven't had a chance to sit down and watch it yet, but I hear its super bleak, so I'm looking forward to it.  Out of context, those last two clauses together would look bizarre.

It's at least a shade or two less bleak than Hannibal.


SPOILERS

The youth bacchanalia thing will get tiresome if they don't shift focus pretty soon. Although the girl protagonist's disillusionment at the party was interesting. That tear drop definitely worked for me.

Maybe this is a pet peeve of mine, but there were two moments when Justin Theroux's character could have simply said one sentence to assuage his daughter's concerns. First, just tell her why you don't want her going to the parade. You expect violence to break out. Simple. Second, when she asks why a dog was in your trunk, don't just stare at her with a dumb look on your face looking vaguely guilty. Tell her you found the dog dead. Simple.

I think mostly it annoys me when unrealistic gaps in communication are used to create artificial conflict.

diggler

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on July 01, 2014, 12:25:11 PM

SPOILERS

Maybe this is a pet peeve of mine, but there were two moments when Justin Theroux's character could have simply said one sentence to assuage his daughter's concerns. First, just tell her why you don't want her going to the parade. You expect violence to break out. Simple. Second, when she asks why a dog was in your trunk, don't just stare at her with a dumb look on your face looking vaguely guilty. Tell her you found the dog dead. Simple.

I think mostly it annoys me when unrealistic gaps in communication are used to create artificial conflict.

Lost was the king of that trope and it's really annoying. Everything else about this was pretty solid. It doesn't seem like they're going to say a damn thing about why people disappeared but at least I'm ready for it this time.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Jeremy Blackman

Hmm I don't remember that from Lost at all. Gaps in communication in that show were usually due to people being separated or needing to keep a secret. In that scene I talked about, they're literally standing there staring at each other, and he inexplicably fails to utter one single sentence that would effortlessly clear things up.

But seriously if this turns into a Lost-bashing thread, I'm going to have to step away. (It's been contained to the shoutbox thusfar.)

I feel like this show is in a dead zone right now, where neither the characters nor the meta content are interesting enough. It probably just needs a couple more hours.

Mostly I'm itching to know if it's going to have a substantial mystery or mythology element. I'm sure I could read more about the book, but I'd rather not spoil myself. If it's just about surviving in this world, I'm not sure it's going to work for me.

Anyway, looking forward to tonight's episode.

diggler

Lindelof's involvement in anything means that Lost bashing is inevitable, I'll at least try to make it pertinent. In fairness to the dead dog inquiry, the scene cut away after Kevin's derp face so you could reasonably assume the daughter got the necessary info off camera. Lost's gaps in communication had more to do with how character's phrased things, which were usually an indicator of the writers leaving as many pathways available to them as possible. Sure, they're kind of different things, but they're both there for narrative convenience.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Jeremy Blackman

Those are certainly different things. Characters in Lost phrasing things in open-ended ways was a problem? Why would anyone with a problem like that continue watching Lost after the pilot? The revisionism about Lost has reached a new level when basic ambiguity = nefarious narrative convenience. Jeez.

Quote from: diggler on July 07, 2014, 12:08:39 AMIn fairness to the dead dog inquiry, the scene cut away after Kevin's derp face so you could reasonably assume the daughter got the necessary info off camera.

Nope. There's an extended awkward silence, and he walks away.

Jeremy Blackman

I am weirdly still open to loving or hating this, but it's stringing me along for now. Things are moving fast enough.

SPOILERS

Totally prepared for the possibility that this show is actually about dismantling mysteries. Hugging guy (who I sincerely hope is not a magical negro) seems to be full of it. His insistence that "this girl is everything" seems suspiciously tailor-made for that kid. More evidence for the lack of mystery/mythology, obviously: the bagel story, and the dog hunter being real. Potential counter-examples: dad knowing about the visitor (lucky guess?), Kevin dreaming about fire and waking up to it (maybe he heard or smelled the fire).

Okay and what was with the mayor and Kevin's dad?

diggler

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on July 07, 2014, 12:58:36 AM

Nope. There's an extended awkward silence, and he walks away.

Yeah you're right, huh.

They did it again this week. "Who was that guy at the door?" "Nobody."  Who would be satisfied with that answer? I also giggled at the "did you steal my bagel?" exchange, which was also dropped immediately. The show has a better sense of humor than I thought it did, it just doesn't know it.

The Holy Wayne story is already more interesting than the others.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Jeremy Blackman

The joke about The Wire was pretty good.