I agree with McConaughey, but I doubt Fukunaga could have done anything better with this material. The possible exception being the shoot-out scene, which wasn't choreographed or shot well. Particularly when you compare it to the big action sequence from last year.
It has plenty of mood and tone. It just rings hollow because of the poor characters, dialog and acting. And really pacing is more about the writing than the directing. So...
I thought Pizzoleto even said he only had an idea for one season. There's no shame in accepting that. It was a great season. He had the worlds aligned with it - 2 great actors, an amazing script, and I think the mysterious bayou setting was his pocket Ace. LA was probably a poor follow up. It's just been done to death.
Wonder if they'll go with a different writer for the next one.
I should stay away from this thread. I've only watched the first episode from season two (well, I watched s1 which was fantastic, but just started this new season).
Frank is probably the most interesting character in the show. I just wish Vince Vaughn was doing a better job with the role. There's so much there to mine and he's barely scratching the surface.
He's trying, god bless him. But he's missing so much. He's not awful, he's competent. But I really wish he was taking full advantage of the material. I just think it's beyond him, even at his best.
I do enjoy the scenes with his wife. But again, he's missing the depth and breadth of the character.
durdencommatyler wrote:But I really wish he was taking full advantage of the material.
I'm talking about Frank specifically.
Look at the speech patterns. Notice the instances where he uses a double negative and when he doesn't. He has real objectives and massive obstacles. Think about those monologues and what he's really saying. NP seems to really love the character. He's put so many wonderful clues in the dialogue for him. There's a fantastic struggle with Frank. And the script really reflects that. VV is kinda getting in the way of the writing, actually.
There are almost as many interesting layers to Frank as there were to Rust. Almost. Imagine how fucking terrible and unmemorable Rust would have been with VV playing him. Really anyone besides McConaughey playing him.
durdencommatyler wrote:But I really wish he was taking full advantage of the material.
I'm talking about Frank specifically.
Look at the speech patterns. Notice the instances where he uses a double negative and when he doesn't. He has real objectives and massive obstacles. Think about those monologues and what he's really saying. NP seems to really love the character. He's put so many wonderful clues in the dialogue for him. There's a fantastic struggle with Frank. And the script really reflects that. VV is kinda getting in the way of the writing, actually.
There are almost as many interesting layers to Frank as there were to Rust. Almost. Imagine how fucking terrible and unmemorable Rust would have been with VV playing him. Really anyone besides McConaughey playing him.
I just don't think there's much there beyond overly "pulpy" cliches and clunky dialog. I mean, "Back in Chicago my daddy was really mean to me." Really? The Chicago gangster that tries to make a name for himself out West is so fucking tired. The dialog then becomes so vapid and trite when your dealing with those kinds of cliches.
As you and I have both said in this thread, the main problem is him deciding to go straight pulp instead of keeping it quirky. The dialog and character don't work if you are gonna play it straight. I mean by the first episode of Season 1, you were thinking, "What a crazy fuck!" Then all the long, bizarre dialogs and staring into the camera becomes magical instead of stupid and pretentious.
durdencommatyler wrote:But I really wish he was taking full advantage of the material.
I'm talking about Frank specifically.
Look at the speech patterns. Notice the instances where he uses a double negative and when he doesn't. He has real objectives and massive obstacles. Think about those monologues and what he's really saying. NP seems to really love the character. He's put so many wonderful clues in the dialogue for him. There's a fantastic struggle with Frank. And the script really reflects that. VV is kinda getting in the way of the writing, actually.
There are almost as many interesting layers to Frank as there were to Rust. Almost. Imagine how fucking terrible and unmemorable Rust would have been with VV playing him. Really anyone besides McConaughey playing him.
I just don't think there's much there beyond overly "pulpy" cliches and clunky dialog. I mean, "Back in Chicago my daddy was really mean to me." Really? The Chicago gangster that tries to make a name for himself out West is so fucking tired. The dialog then becomes so vapid and trite when your dealing with those kinds of cliches.
As you and I have both said in this thread, the main problem is him deciding to go straight pulp instead of keeping it quirky. The dialog and character don't work if you are gonna play it straight. I mean by the first episode of Season 1, you were thinking, "What a crazy fuck!" Then all the long, bizarre dialogs and staring into the camera becomes magical instead of stupid and pretentious.
Obviously, I agree. The writing has a lot of flaws. I'm just looking at Frank as an isolated entity away from the larger construct and I keep noticing things that I think a better actor could turn into something really interesting in spite of the clunkier chunks.
