Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sepinwall on TV: 'Crash' the series review

In today's column, I review the new TV version of "Crash," which debuts tomorrow night on Starz.

Not going to have a chance to write about "Pushing Daisies" or "Sons of Anarchy" until late afternoon at the earliest, and maybe not until tomorrow, as I have to do some interviews in Manhattan today.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

The first two episodes are on the Starz website. I watched the first one last week. Hopper is totally over the top and the writing is still totally obvious and cliche.

Carrie said...

I have to quibble about the Marisa Tomei thing. She's had several great roles in quality movies (In the Bedroom, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, the upcoming The Wrestler) and played them well. Just because she's not a huge movie star doesn't mean she's not doing quality work.

As for Crash: the Series...well, I'd rather drink bleach.

Adam said...

You were wrong about Crash the movie -- while I loved it the first time, the preachiness and too-perfect structuring just led me to despise it, esp. after it wrongly won that Oscar.

But now you're wrong about Marisa Tomei, whom I'll argue has demonstrated in the past decade to be worthy-enough ... certainly, she's had a better career than Mercedes Ruehl, say.

Anonymous said...

I'll agree with the last two posters. While Tomei made her share of duds in the years immediately following her victory, she has proven herself to be a very high quality character actress over the last decade or so (Hell, she even snagged a second nomination).

I think I'll give this show about half a season. The writing staff is a pretty impressive roster, although a part of me wishes they weren't having Hopper crazy it up. While I enjoy it as much as the next guy, it's used as a crutch for him to often. I recently saw him in Elegy and remembered what a good regular, low-key actor he can be.

Anonymous said...

So it's a series about race in LA, and there's only one black regular character?

dark tyler said...

Marisa Tomei will probably be nominated once more this year with 'The Wrestler', by the way.

Anonymous said...

Still, four, arguably five good movies (i would add The Slums Of Beverly Hills) in 16 years is pretty disappointing.

Nicole said...

I have to join the chorus of Marisa Tomei support. A few years after her win, she wasn't in anything worthwhile, but has had better roles recently, and she will definitely get a supporting nomination for the Wrestler. I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival and her performance was on pace with Mickey Rooney, who is practically a lock to win it this year.

Mira Sorvino? not so much.

I wasn't a fan of Crash the movie and have no interest in the television program. If Haggis brought back EZ Streets, then I would care, otherwise this seems like a white liberal guilt kind of show. A series about the Cronenberg Crash movie... now there's something interesting.

(I disliked Crash more after it beat out far better films in the Best Picture category, like Brokeback Mountain, Good and Good Luck and Capote.)

Anonymous said...

Mickey Rooney, who is practically a lock to win it this year.

This might be my all time favorite typo. About time The Rooney got his due respect.

Anonymous said...

I heard that Starz picked up a pilot from Rob Thomas called Party Down that sounds better than this.

Anonymous said...

How small is D. B. Sweeney's role that he's not even in the cast picture you posted? That alone tells me not to watch--he gets no respect, I tells ya, no respect at all.

Nicole said...

I did actually see the movie and while Mickey Rourke is pretty unrecognizable from his earlier days, he doesn't look like Mickey Rooney just yet.