Mjeteconer
Just perfect...
FirstWitch
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Haven Kaycee
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
southdavid
So tempting to throw a comparison to "The Wire" in early doors here. Whilst it's too early to say whether David Simon's show will go on to match his illustrious predecessor - this first season is a major step in the right direction. Much like "The Wire" the show focuses on an area rather than a character. This time though, rather than Baltimore it's a much more specific area of Manhattan that gets our attention. "The Deuce" area was, in the 70's a focal point for the sleazier appetites of the city that never sleeps. Prostitutes and pimps inhabit the streets outside what were, at the start of the show, illicit porno theatres and peep shows. The story tells multiple stories from people on all sides of this situation, where the laws surrounding the industries are murky, and only increase in ambiguousness which the show explores. Despite the shows excellent sprawling storyline, somehow managing to facilitate 30 odd fleshed out characters, each with something going on, and the pretty solidly done period setting, the explicit nature of the sex scenes, particularly in the earlier episodes is almost certainly going to turn away a high number of the audience. It's not titillation though, these scenes are not enjoyable, but rather highlight the inherent depression of sex without love, or even respect, Everything else though, is spot on. Performances from the reliable TV cast as well as the sprinkling of Hollywood are universally excellent, it's a show that will hopefully make some stars out of some of the less well known talent. But the shows real star is David Simon. Future seasons will let us know whether "The Deuce" follows "The Wire" to classic status but for now it's off to an excellent start.
jamdub-61934
One reviewer states the show is unrealistic. He said pimps did not hang out together. He obviously has never been around the pimp game. Another reviewer says disregard negative reviews; listen to this reviewer. I doubt Simon would create a show without doing his homework, and here he has done his work -even more so than the Wire. Here in the Yay Area, better known as the Bay Area, as I hung out in Oakland and areas of SF back in the mid 70s and early 80s, pimps did hang with each other. They did hang with the masses of people in the neighborhood. They would have blended in, if not for their cars and wardrobes. My grandfather was friends with a few pimps and hoes in the 1970s. The Deuce has a gritty element that will attract anyone who longs for real feel TGV and smart programming. I can remember my dad coming back to the states after Nam, with porno flicks in the mid-70s. I snuck and watched of course. What I found interesting was the mystery behind the culture. Where was this happening? There was a time when it poked its head out from the underground with adult theaters, but the government wasn't ready for the world adult movies. It wasn't ready, because of where Adult movies were originating. They were in the big cities of NY, SF and LA and associated with pimps, hoes, hustlers and drugs; and quiet as kept some good professional actors. This show tells us where it all started. As a young adult in college in the early 80s, I had the chance to hang out all night with one of those old porn stars. He took us on a ride to a place called the Mansion in SF. We were standing at the corner or Broadway and Columbus in front of Carol Doda's. He said to us, do you like what you see. (Three women in the limo). We said hell yes! He asked us to jump in and said it was his birthday today. In today's world, getting into that limo would be considered a non-starter. The Mansion was where they shot many SF porn vids in the 70s. That night he showed us his world. It was a drug fueled, sex fueled world, which had elements of street with dope and the way the clientele looked. Definitely pimps there from what I can remember. Odd thing was everyone was very nice to us, and had a morale approach to whether we should be at this party of not. Nothing happened that night, dammit! He put us in a room with movies playing, because some lady mentioned we looked too young. They gave us beers to drink while they were all doing drugs and screwing downstairs. We would peeked out every now and then to look. He starred in several big movies in his day; his biggest was Behind the Green Door.This world is real, it was the genesis of film booth loops and it is 100% fascinating, not just as TV programming but as a history lesson. Watch it!
stevesspam-36072
70's NYC is a great stage for drama. This is Classic David Simon. If you got bored with The Wire or Show Me A Hero, etc, you probably won't like this. Simon is all about bringing a story together via many characters and episodes. If you can't appreciate the development of the many characters over multiple episodes then watch Boogie Nights and Taxi Driver and move on. I've only watched 2 episodes, but this, like The wire, is contemporary Shakespeare in my book. I can't wait to be teleported back to 70's NYC again in the next episode!BTW, The Get Down should never have been canceled! It too was great 70's NYC!
baoboa
Absolutely the worst series not only on air today, but ever. Dreadful casting, dreadful acting, dreadful story line.. its just plain dreadful. I simply do not care how "real" it looks and "feels" as other reviews say... any show solely relying on shock for ratings violent desensitizing dumbed down depraved sexual acts is a big fail in my book. There is absolutely no substance here. This is not entertainment in the least bit.OH boy! A penis here, a penis there, even fake penises, there's a penis everywhere! We get it now HBO, you just love shoving penises in viewers faces. When all else fails, show a penis! And here I thought HBO working with the shock for ratings hipster tabloid Vice was bad... HBO has now sunk to an all time low with this complete and utter garbage.
