FX's The Bastard Executioner - From SOA's Kurt Sutter

[Marvolo]

The reviews do not seem good for this.

What are the critics taking issues with?

The promos havent blown me away, and like others have pointed out the cinematography is awful.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

What are the critics taking issues with?

The promos havent blown me away, and like others have pointed out the cinematography is awful.

They are saying the characters are paper thin, the story tedious and sluggish, subpar acting, and completely unoriginal.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-bastard-executioner/s01/

Some seem to think it looks good, others that it looks cheap. I am with you on the cinematography. The commercials look quite ugly to me.

 

[Perfect Cell]

My first impression of the show from the trailers was that it looks very... SyFy. Like the landscapes look fake and green screened, because they couldn't afford to shoot on location. But... they DID shoot on location, right? So whatever aesthetic choice they decided to film in just looks weird.

 

[Man in the Suit]

the story tedious and sluggish

That describes the last two seasons of SOA. Mostly the last. I was hoping Sutter's bad habits wouldn't crossover, but... yeah.

Matt Zoller Seitz ‏@mattzollerseitz Sep 14

I'll say this for Kurt Sutter: he knows what he likes, and he's not focus-grouping his pace or tone. There's a weird integrity to him.

https://***********/mattzollerseitz/status/643465032374833152

lol


I'm still hoping for the best and that I'll dig it.

 

[Marvolo]

My first impression of the show from the trailers was that it looks very... SyFy. Like the landscapes look fake and green screened, because they couldn't afford to shoot on location. But... they DID shoot on location, right? So whatever aesthetic choice they decided to film in just looks weird.

It dont think it looks like greenscreen. At all.

Theyve just blown out the whites in the cinematography for some reason. Usually that happens with cheap cameras, inexperienced DOPs, or poor lighting. Supernatural in its early seasons kept the colors low, blew out the whites while also crushing blacks. When they upgraded their cameras and could afford better lighting the show dropped that look. This is one reason Bastard looks like a SyFy show. SyFy shows usually have low budgets and use lower quality lighting and equipment which results in some blown out ugly cinematography. Tho in this day and age with digital cameras its less of an issue providing the DOP knows his or her way around lighting.

Surely the budget was good enough to afford better cinematography for Bastard Executioner. So this must be an artistic choice by Sutter, but why Sutter would deliberately pick this sort of look for this show is beyond me.

They are saying the characters are paper thin, the story tedious and sluggish, subpar acting, and completely unoriginal.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-bastard-executioner/s01/

Some seem to think it looks good, others that it looks cheap. I am with you on the cinematography. The commercials look quite ugly to me.

Damn. Was really hoping this would be something special.

 

[Marz69]

They are saying the characters are paper thin, the story tedious and sluggish, subpar acting, and completely unoriginal.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-bastard-executioner/s01/

Some seem to think it looks good, others that it looks cheap. I am with you on the cinematography. The commercials look quite ugly to me.

Maybe it takes a couple of episodes for the characters to develop. At least I hope so. Anyway, I'll give it a shot & hope for the best

 

[THUNDERSTRIKE]

I like Sutter's stuff, but this one looks like a misfire to me...

 

[Perfect Cell]

It dont think it looks like greenscreen. At all.

Theyve just blown out the whites in the cinematography for some reason. Usually that happens with cheap cameras, inexperienced DOPs, or poor lighting. Supernatural in its early seasons kept the colors low, blew out the whites while also crushing blacks. When they upgraded their cameras and could afford better lighting the show dropped that look. This is one reason Bastard looks like a SyFy show. SyFy shows usually have low budgets and use lower quality lighting and equipment which results in some blown out ugly cinematography. Tho in this day and age with digital cameras its less of an issue providing the DOP knows his or her way around lighting.

Surely the budget was good enough to afford better cinematography for Bastard Executioner. So this must be an artistic choice by Sutter, but why Sutter would deliberately pick this sort of look for this show is beyond me.



Damn. Was really hoping this would be something special.

Well, obviously it's not green screen. But that was the first comparison I picked up from it. It looked like an episode of Star Trek Enterprise or Stargate Atlantis where they had to create an alien world backdrop. The colours just looked so "off", and it immediately took me out of it, like poor green screen. "Cheap" is probably the better word for it, like you said. But it would have to be intentional, for whatever odd reason.

 

[Marvolo]

Sutter may have wanted the cinematography to appear "cold" and harsh and uninviting to mirror the time period the show takes place in. Thats the only artistic reason I can think of aside from Sutter just having very odd tastes.

Which to be fair, SOA never really had pretty cinematography either. Serviceable is how I would describe that show's cinematography.

 

[Perfect Cell]

I never watched Outlander (I feel like I should though), and it's been a while since I've watched Vikings, so I'm trying to compare the brief trailer shots from BE to my memory of those. Those shows probably have lesser budgets as well, right? I mean History Channel compared to FX?

 

[Marvolo]

I never watched Outlander (I feel like I should though), and it's been a while since I've watched Vikings, so I'm trying to compare the brief trailer shots from BE to my memory of those. Those shows probably have lesser budgets as well, right? I mean History Channel compared to FX?

The two-hour pilot episode (of Bastard Executioner), set to air Sept. 15, cost about $10 million to make, and the per-episode budget is twice that of “Sons of Anarchy,” which cost roughly $2.5 million each.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fxs-the...edieval-epic-with-mystical-touches-1441912966

Outlander had a budget of $80+ million for season 1. Whether that means the first 8 episodes or all 16 im not sure.

And Vikings budget was around $40 million for season 1 which had 9 episodes. The budget of each season has increased along with the number o episodes in each season. Seasons 2-3 had 10 episodes. Season 4 will have over 20 episodes.

 

[Perfect Cell]

I'm not minding it so far. It hasn't been terrible, and it hasn't been great. But it's probably enough to get me to tune in next week and keep going with it. Some of the reviews called it unoriginal, and it is rather generic. But not necessarily bad, I suppose.

 

[Man in the Suit]

I liked it. Could've been shorter. It's a pilot, so things could change with the next episode. I'm in for now.

 

[THUNDERSTRIKE]

nope, it didn't hit me right at all, so I'll pass from here on in...

 

[squeekness]

I'm halfway through and it's not really grabbing me. I find some of the accents hard to wade through. I will keep going in hopes this improves, but if it doesn't I've got plenty else to watch with Fargo and Horror Hotel coming up.

 

[Marvolo]

Ill watch it after work, but even if its not good Ill give it some more episodes before I give up on it. Pilot episodes arent always the best indicator of what a show can be. It took a few tries before SOA won me over.

 

[mocomic]

I think it will be alright. The story is being set up. It's a slow build up to get there. The guy with Katie Sagal at the end, was that Sutter . Flayed or burned? Significance of sword?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Those reviewing the shot have probably seen the first 5 or so episodes, so if they are calling it slow, it is going to be slow for awhile.

 

[Man in the Suit]

I think they've seen the first three episodes. The first two made up the pilot/premiere. I could be wrong tho.

 

[Sawyer]

I enjoyed it. It's not automatically my favorite new show, but it was a decent start and there's no reason for me to think things can't improve from here.

For one thing, I loved how the former executioner's abused family didn't bat an eyelash before providing an alibi for the man who, as far as they know, killed him. Hope you're enjoying that one from the afterlife, dick.

 

[Man in the Suit]

The kid playing along was hilarious. Just the way he went in for the hug.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The Baroness is adorable. The bit with the family at the end was funny. Seeing Sembene was a treat. That is as good as it got. I am actually surprised by how poor this was. If you are going to slow burn, there needs to be something you are getting to. There was nothing at the end of this, no sign that anything would be coming and it is just a mess of cliches and pointless violence. I get that she is his wife, but her Katey's accent is as bad as it gets.

I completely understand the comparison to GoT, because it is trying to be GoT. Except it lacks the writing, directing, and overall quality.

 

[Sawyer]

I completely understand the comparison to GoT, because it is trying to be GoT. Except it lacks the writing, directing, and overall quality.

Don't forget the endless stream of basement dwellers who whine everytime the show deviates-- even slightly-- from source material.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Don't forget the endless stream of basement dwellers who whine everytime the show deviates-- even slightly-- from source material.

Don't forget those that are fine with when it deviates as long as it makes sense in terms of story and character. Hardhome, good. What they did with Sansa, bad.

 

[James]

I liked the second half a lot more than the first, and I absolutely appreciate the criticisms Bastard Executioner's pilot episode is full of cliches -because it is. There are few characters to like and even less are charismatic enough to really latch on to, even the hero...especially the hero.

That said, I did enjoy most of it. I'll be sticking around to see how it pans out, my faith in Sutter tells me it'll get better.

I think it will be alright. The story is being set up. It's a slow build up to get there. The guy with Katie Sagal at the end, was that Sutter . Flayed or burned? Significance of sword?

It was Sutter, yeah. He looked burned to me. The significance of the dagger is, it's the same dagger that was used to [BLACKOUT]kill the main character's wife and unborn baby.[/BLACKOUT]

I completely understand the comparison to GoT, because it is trying to be GoT. Except it lacks the writing, directing, and overall quality.

I agree to an extent. I'm not sure that's what Sutter is doing intentionally, but I definitely think GoT is probably a big selling point for why FX decided to go with the show.