Life On Mars (American version) [R]

[Goodsport]

This show (http://abc.go.com/primetime/lifeonmars/index?pn=index) premieres today. :cool:


-G

[Anthony]

This show (http://abc.go.com/primetime/lifeonmars/index?pn=index) premieres today. :cool:


-G

I have watched a few of the UK episodes on BBC America anbd have been looking foward to this. I love the NY 1973 atmosphere (I was 6).

"LET'S GO METS!"

Back then, my older cousin was married to a NYC cop -- he looks just like Michael Imperioli's character.

[Dante]

I loved the UK series, so I'm a bit hesitant with what's happening. David E. Kelley is off the show and the guys that did October Road are now in charge, needless to say my expectations are VERY low for this one.

I managed to watch the first pilot with Colm Meany playing Gene Hunt and a few other different actors. The show was also set in LA, not sure how I feel about it being in NY. I dvr'd it so I'll watch it this weekend, but I don't have much hope for it. Ever since the guys that created October Road took over I've been dreading what they're going to do with it.

[Caesar]

This is going to be garbage. You can't replicate what they did with the original.

[Anthony]

I thought they did a good job, but it seemed at times almost word for word from the first episode of the BBC (of course, though they refered here to pastaciotti instead of the English cakes). The t.v. show he was watching with the professor doing math problems, that was a real show on was it channel 25 or 31? One of the PBS channels (NY used to have lots of them) would have Brooklyn College or CCNY professors on in the afternoons covering different subjects.

Having been 6 in 1973, it is sort of like how I remember it and I thought they did a good job of that. The freaky thing was how Imperioli's character looked and acted like my cousin's then husband, the NYC cop (though he was uniform, not plain clothes). I also like how they had the WTC in the background, how the officer realizes something is wrong.

As for the rest, the colors really did seem different back then, everything was in earth tones, and looking back, the city seemed grittier, smoggier dirtier, and more wild.

[Crimen y Castigo]

It was certainly a good looking show. I thought they overdid it a bit on the groovy New York street scene -- it was a bit like Sesame Street on hash. But at least there weren't pristine 1973 Buicks lining the streets, which is often the problem with these period shows.

Having not seen the original, the concept seemed pretty good. I also liked the maintained edge of insanity for the protagonist -- again, in many other time travel shows, it can be one moment of confusion and then off we go. At least here, he looked truly nuts for a while and the anxiety seems convincing and properly sustained.

That said, some of the plotting was idiotic. I had ZERO idea what he was talking about during his "modern-cop pyschological profile analysis" of the killer. Add to this the ludicrous record store scene -- so he looked across a crowded room into a listening booth and saw soundproofing on the wall that he intuited was comprised of fibers similar to what he found in the fingernail? By that measure, he should have just guessed at seven numbers and called the killer's house.

More minuses:

--Some of the dialogue Imperioli and Keitel were forced to speak was beyond awful.

--Lisa Bonet is gorgeous, but has never been able to act.

--Just as it was getting interesting with the kid and the gun, a voice comes out of the radio? The hell?

Not sure I'll stick with this one.

[elbp]

No matter how hard anyone tries, no one will ever come close to pulling the Gene Genie like Philip Glenister did. No Harvey ********in Keitel, no Al ********in Pacino, no Gary ********in Oldman (well, maybe :D). Glenister was born to play that role.

I doubt I'll ever watch the new series. The british version was so exciting, quirky and at times flat-out hilarious that watching this version makes for a less than appealing prospect. Just my thoughts.

[Andy Bennett]

I think copies always suffer by comparison if you've seen the original but I think this show can be good. It depends on how they develop the characters. If they stay true to the original in being a bit edgy then it could be worth watching.

[MLSNHTOWN]

I think copies always suffer by comparison if you've seen the original but I think this show can be good. It depends on how they develop the characters. If they stay true to the original in being a bit edgy then it could be worth watching.

Didn't see the original. I liked the pilot, but didn't love the entire episode. The sound booth revelation was pretty poor. The profiling was dumb and added nothing.

Ultimately, I will give it some more episodes. I really like Keitel and Imperioli and I think the show will get better because of it. Man, I miss Rounders Gretchen Mol though. Granted she is still very nice.

[Andy Bennett]

Add to this the ludicrous record store scene -- so he looked across a crowded room into a listening booth and saw soundproofing on the wall that he intuited was comprised of fibers similar to what he found in the fingernail?

The sound booth revelation was pretty poor.
??? :confused:

He'd already found the man-made fibres under the dead girl's fingernails and he and Annie had already figured out that the victims weren't gagged and why. I didn't think it was that complicated, tbh.

[MLSNHTOWN]

??? :confused:

He'd already found the man-made fibres under the dead girl's fingernails and he and Annie had already figured out that the victims weren't gagged and why. I didn't think it was that complicated, tbh.

Right, but I guess I just thought it was campy how he put it all together. He just randomly walks across the street to a record store. Then while in the record store, lo and behold they have a sound proof booth.

It felt a little forced IMHO. If there was some purpose to being at the record store other than just randomly feeling the need to walk into the store, then I might have bought it.

Regardless, since he is hearing voices of doctors, etc., I would imagine that he is in a coma or something. As a result, the decisions he makes in 1970's and more importantly why he makes them, might be all in his head. That all being said, I don't want any confirmation regarding this above paragraph or condemnation for being wrong. As an enjoyable premise with solid actors will get me to watch a couple of more episodes before I make a judgment on the entire series.

[royalstilton]

Look!

There is NO life on Mars. I think we have established that by now.

[Andy Bennett]

Right, but I guess I just thought it was campy how he put it all together. He just randomly walks across the street to a record store. Then while in the record store, lo and behold they have a sound proof booth.

They always had sound-proofed booths in record stores in 1973. Well, in Britain, anyway and I assume it was the same in the states.

The 'walking into it' part was maybe a little contrived, (something about his mum taking him there when he was a kid), but, tbh, having seen modern record stores, (which I wouldn't walk into unless at gun point), the old record stores were quite a bit different. They were more... well, seedy, is the best word I suppose.

[Anthony]

They always had sound-proofed booths in record stores in 1973. Well, in Britain, anyway and I assume it was the same in the states.

The 'walking into it' part was maybe a little contrived, (something about his mum taking him there when he was a kid), but, tbh, having seen modern record stores, (which I wouldn't walk into unless at gun point), the old record stores were quite a bit different. They were more... well, seedy, is the best word I suppose.


In any event, that scene was almost word for word from the UK version.

[Andy Bennett]

In any event, that scene was almost word for word from the UK version.
Yes. I wondered how people felt about that? It's a little weird for me because I know, (and loved), the original but, tbh, if you haven't seen it before that shouldn't really make a difference.

As I said once before on these boards, I'll be very, very interested to see if the 2nd, (last), series ends the same way as the British one. I'm not sure the Americans are really ready for that sort of thing in their TV shows.

I could be wrong I suppose.

[Caesar]

That was better than I thought it would be. It seems to be emphasising humour more than the UK series.

Don't know how they're going to fit classic bits like Gene Hunt in Camberwick Green into the new series though.

[Andy Bennett]

Don't know how they're going to fit classic bits like Gene Hunt in Camberwick Green into the new series though.
Now THAT will be interesting... 'beating up a nonce' :D Brilliant!!! :D

[Dante]

I loved the British version, but felt that the latest US version tried too hard. I watched the original pilot, that took place in LA and had Colm Meany cast as Gene Hunt and thought the crew had better interactions there. It was also closer to the UK version in a number of scenes.

I loved how when in modern day times they're driving through NY and Brooklyn and all the streets are totally empty, yeah that's believable. Transport back to 1973 and the streets are packed. Also, the scene were the apartments were, I'm sorry but in 1973 it wasn't just empty land... Brooklyn at that point was pretty packed. Someone also mentioned all the people in the streets was like Sesame Street on hash, I agree. It was like they were trying too hard.

I'll probably give it a couple more episodes, but to be honest I wasn't impressed. I thought the original pilot was done far better, but still both can't compare to the original. I'd hate to think how they're going to stretch it over a few seasons, where the original had its timeline set in stone and it worked in its benefit.

[Felixx219]

I didnt even know this was a remake. I liked the episode and will definately be watching future episodes. The cast is great.

[Iceblink]

I saw this show already. It was called Life on Mars.

The only difference between this show and the Manchester version is that the cities were called something else, and the actors had different accents... and the actor in the American version sounded like he was covering up one. I'd bet a thousand bucks he wasn't American.

The show looked good... except for the fact that the actors looked like they were dressed like they were from the 70s instead of being from the 70s... except maybe Annie.

I dunno. Some stretches of it were just ripped right from the original script. I truly felt like I'd watched it already and could move on.

I think I might have thought it was ok if I hadn't seen the original... but I had.