Maniac

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flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
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Re: Maniac

#26 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:49 pm

The original Norwegian series is on Netflix too

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Persona
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:16 pm

Re: Maniac

#27 Post by Persona » Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:07 pm

Almost done and I've pretty much totally loved this, warts and all. I get the point about it really being a 6-hour movie and how it should be viewed in one sitting, and that makes sense, but I have to say that I've been fine with almost all the episode breaks as they're fashioned around different narrative perspectives and/or fantasies and/or dramatic beats. The format has really worked for me. With one very glaring exception:
SpoilerShow
The episode break between parts 7 and 8. I find this just utterly baffling. It definitely feels like it was planned as one episode (the title of Part 7 is actually said in Part 8!) that they just arbitrarily split into two for the sake of... not having an hour-long episode, even though they made the other episodes whatever length they wanted? Having 10 episodes instead of 9? I mean, I really don't get it.

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barryconvex
billy..biff..scooter....tommy
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:08 pm
Location: NYC

Re: Maniac

#28 Post by barryconvex » Fri Sep 28, 2018 4:44 pm

mfunk9786 wrote: ↑
Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:00 pm
It's a really neat thing that is just... so very indulgent.
I couldn't agree more. Give a young actor an Oscar, put her in a meeting with a company that has unlimited funds and an hour later the half cooked spaghetti's sticking to the wall. Stone's not ready for this kind of responsibility-exec producing and playing how many characters? I'm not sure anybody could handle a workload like that. She's talented but any nuance that was there to begin with got crushed under the weight of having so much to do. And please no more takes on the Long Island accent/culture. Any actor can do the accent and they seemingly all think it's fresh. Hill can be great playing to his strengths but he's not a dramatic presence and seems lost here. His interpretation of the main character boils down to mumbling and shuffling around. His interpretation of the other characters is mumbling and shuffling around. He shed a lot of weight before filming but unfortunately it only makes him look drained and 20 years older.

But truthfully - I did like a decent amount of this. I can't seem to remember exactly what that is at the moment because despite finishing this just a few days ago i seem to have all but forgotten it. Justin Theroux and Sonoya Mizuno are great actors. Sally Field steals every scene she's in.

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Aunt Peg
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:30 am

Re: Maniac

#29 Post by Aunt Peg » Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:03 am

I'm six episodes into this and disliking it more as it goes on. I really didn't know what to make of the first three and just when along with their groove in the hope it would pickup. Episode 4 was really good though and it grined to a halt for 5 & 6. I'll watch the final 4 tomorrow night but I have to admit that I am bitterly disappointed with it so far. I reminds me of Michel Gondry and I'm not a fan of his work. Anyway, I hope the last four espisodes bring it to a satisfactory conclusion.

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Persona
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:16 pm

Re: Maniac

#30 Post by Persona » Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:45 am

If the final episode had been more challenging/rewarding/provocative this would have sat a lot better in my memory.

I still love so many of the elements of this but the final episode was definitely a limp noodle let-down to whatever I thought the series might have been building towards and does kind of reveal the whole as more indulgent than insightful.

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Roger Ryan
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city

Re: Maniac

#31 Post by Roger Ryan » Thu Jan 31, 2019 1:24 pm

Aunt Peg wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:03 am
...I reminds me of Michel Gondry and I'm not a fan of his work...
I was reminded of Gondry by way of his work with Charlie Kaufman (and I'm a fan of both). The "real" world of Maniac is so detailed and satirical in its surreal way that I felt the fantasy scenes, by comparison, struggled to be engaging. By mid-way through, I just wanted to follow the interaction of Dr. Mantleray and his mother, especially with Justin Theroux and Sally Field giving top-shelf comic performances. As "Persona" notes, the series had trouble coming up with a satisfying resolution, one that would justify the considerable time spent in the fantasy world.

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