Trueblood on HBO

It's sometimes difficult to remember a world before smart television shows had cinematic influences. Whether it's the latest offering from HBO or even a sleeper hit like "Mad Men," everything from set design to film angles that would make more sense in a movie than in a sitcom have crossed over from the silver screen to the flat screens in living rooms across the country. The success of this approach to shooting television can really be traced back to "The Sopranos," the HBO mega-hit that managed to change the face of satellite TV for years to come. Whether it was during the show's original airing on the premium cable channel or its current time in reruns on regular television, the show changed the appearance of television, setting channels like HBO on a course more towards smartly directed, beautifully written programming that would be just as at home at your local arthouse theatre as it is on HDTVs across America.

After "The Sopranos" folded, its fans waited eagerly to see what Terence Winter, screenwriter and producer, would make his next project. Many assumed that it would be with HBO, but initially, it looked as though he was shopping his options. Thankfully, the insanity stopped, and it appears that his next series for HBO won't just blow "The Sopranos" out of the water, but just might revolutionize the way that television is made yet again.

For starters, "Boardwalk Empire" has scored the coup of all coups: the pilot episode is directed by noneother than Academy Award winning director Martin Scorcese. A true expert when it comes to films depicting outlaw organizations and corruption, it makes sense that the man responsible for bringing the public "The Departed," "Goodfellas," "Taxi Driver," and "Casino" would jump at the chance to work with such rich source material. Based on a popular book by Nelson Johnson, the show centers around the world of Atlantic City during the 1920s, when alcohol was illegal and a number of clandestine bootleggers managed to make fortunes for families who would later become legal magnates, all the while also dealing with the corruption of the popular gambling destinations' beginnings.

With such promising material and a world-famous director on-board, it would seem that Winter's latest project was a shoo-in for winning over satellite tv viewers and HBO fanatics alike, but there might have still been critics out where with reservations. After all, sometimes adapting true stories can get a little bit difficult, and it's also tough to strike gold twice. Thankfully, "Boardwalk Empire" is also fortunate enough to have a cast that is just as heavyweight as its writer and director. The always-stunning Steve Buscemi holds the show's pivotal role, and his performance has already been whispered as being deserving of awards in industry insider circles. Perhaps the show's biggest gamble is casting Michael Pitt, a very accomplished but mostly unheard of young actor, who is better known by beglittered glam rock fans for his performance in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," but who blew directors and cinephiles away with his role in "Funny Games." Scorcese, who grew so fond of Leonardo Dicaprio that he helped to re-start his career in a way no one else could have, might very well find traces of a young Dicaprio in Pitt's acting. Casting him in this show might have been one of the best decisions, as finally there will be material rich enough to prove his acting prowess.

So in case the pickings on satellite tv were starting to look a little slim, fear not. If there's anything HBO has a nose for, it's a blockbuster, and "Boardwalk Empire" is shaping up to be just that.

Eric plays Yahtzee with the Queen (Twitter: @Sookeh) No copyright infringement intended. The rights belong to their respective owners.

John Adams (HBO Miniseries) Review B000WGWQG8

I was never interested in American history in school, but today's political scene has given me cause to wish I would have paid more attention. This HBO Miniseries is outstanding. It is captivating and leaves you in awe of the sacrifices made by our founding fathers and their families. It is much more than just a history lesson. It is a beautiful love story of John and Abigal Adams and the trials and tribulations they faced together. It is the story of the deep friendship which developed between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. It is an action packed story of the defeat of the British. It is a story of courage and commitment from which our freedom was born. I watched the whole series in a single weekend because I simply couldn't stop. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney were remarkable in their roles as John Adams and Abigale Adams. An outstanding job HBO! We need more historical works made interesting!

John Adams (HBO Miniseries) Overview

John Adams is a sprawling HBO miniseries event that depicts the extraordinary life and times of one of Americas least understood, and most underestimated, founding fathers: the second President of the United States, John Adams. Starring Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man, HBOs American Spendor) in the title role and Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me, Kinsey) as Adams devoted wife Abigail, John Adams chronicles the extraordinary life journey of one of the primary shapers of our independence and government, whose legacy has often been eclipsed by more flamboyant contemporaries like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. Set against the backdrop of a nations stormy birth, this sweeping miniseries is a moving love story, a gripping narrative, and a fascinating study of human nature. Above all, at a time when the nation is increasingly polarized politically, this story celebrates the shared values of liberty and freedom upon which this country was built.

John Adams (HBO Miniseries) Specifications

Based on David McCullough's bestselling biography, the HBO miniseries John Adams is the furthest thing from a starry-eyed look at America's founding fathers and the brutal path to independence. Adams (Paul Giamatti), second president of the United States, is portrayed as a skilled orator and principled attorney whose preference for justice over anti-English passions earns enemies. But he also gains the esteem of the first national government of the United States, i.e., the Continental Congress, which seeks non-firebrands capable of making a reasoned if powerful case for America's break from England's monarchy. The first thing one notices about John Adams' dramatizations of congress' proceedings, and the fervent pro-independence violence in the streets of Boston and elsewhere, is that America's roots don't look pretty or idealized here. Some horrendous things happen in the name of protest, driving Adams to push the cause of independence in a legitimate effort to get on with a revolutionary war under the command of George Washington. But the process isn't easy: not every one of the 13 colonies-turned-states is ready to incur the wrath of England, and behind-the-scenes negotiations prove as much a part of 18th century congressional sessions as they do today.

Besides this peek into a less-romanticized version of the past, John Adams is also a story of the man himself. Adams' frustration at being forgotten or overlooked at critical junctures of America's early development--sent abroad for years instead of helping to draft the U.S. constitution--is detailed. So is his dismay that the truth of what actually transpired leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence has been slowly forgotten and replaced by a rosier myth. But above all, John Adams is the story of two key ties: Adams' 54-year marriage to Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), every bit her husband's intellectual equal and anchor, and his difficult, almost symbiotic relationship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) over decades. Giamatti, of course, has to carry much of the drama, and if he doesn't always seem quite believable in the series' first half, he becomes increasingly excellent at the point where an aging Adams becomes bitter over his place in history. Linney is marvelous, as is Dillane, Sarah Polley as daughter Nabby, Danny Huston as cousin Samuel Adams, and above all Tom Wilkinson as a complex but indispensable Ben Franklin. --Tom Keogh

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

Related Products

• Benjamin Franklin
• Thomas Jefferson - A Film by Ken Burns
• Founding Brothers
• Alexander Hamilton
• The History Channel Presents The Revolution

Customer Reviews

Leave it to HBO..... - Hubbell Gardner - NC
to make the best miniseries about the history of this country and the great men who, even with having their human flaws and differences, fought for everything they did to make this country what it is supposed to be. Sad to say that if they could see the mess it is in today.........they would be amazingly disappointed and mad as hell !!!!



Very Far Left View of Founding Fathers. - Roland F Cyr - Plymouth, CT, US
This HBO series depicts George Washington as an idiot. Ben Franklin as a playboy in Paris. John Adams as an angry, frustrated man, poor husband, poor father. I should have not expected historical facts from HBO and Tom Hanks; even most of the players are far left individuals. Will be used to indoctrinate our young children guaranteed. Would not recommend wasting your time on this.



Some praise, and four gripes - Ronald Kozar - Dayton, Ohio
A fine series - both educational and dramatic. Among many other things that other reviewers have rightly applauded, the producers skillfully captured the subtle changes in dress and culture over the decades covered by this epic.

But, alas, here are my four biggest gripes:

First, most of the dialogue is whispered rather than spoken. I had to turn the volume way up to hear it.

Second, the cameraman has the annoying habit of deliberately shaking the camera, especially in the earlier episodes. He really wants you to know that the camera is hand-held.

Third, the portrayal of Abigail Adams is hokey throughout. She is presented as an all-patient, all-knowing pillar of quiet strength and wisdom for her husband who, unlike her, comes across as a mere, whiney mortal. Laura Linney, the actress who plays Abigail, keeps her brow frozen in an uncomfortable-looking expression of pain and forbearance that must have given her a headache. It didn't take long for me to get tired of looking at her.

Fourth, the scene of the Adamses copulating shortly after Abigail's arrival in France is gratuitous, as is the needless non-erotic shot of their daughter's breast in the final episode. These were added, I suppose, to bring the series into compliance with the Law on Mandatory Sex and Nudity in All Productions.




*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 06, 2010 13:57:00