"House Of Lies" (Don Cheadle, Jean-Ralphio, Kristen Bell) Trailers:

http://recordinglivefromsomewhere.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/house-of-lies-don-cheadle-jean-ralphio-kristin-bell-richard-schiff-trailers/

“A subversive, scathing look at a self-loathing management consultant from a top-tier firm. Marty, a highly successful, cutthroat consultant is never above using any means (or anyone) necessary to get his clients the information they want.”

Looks okay so far.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/11/tv-teaser-showtimes-house-of-lies/

in the first five minutes.

**********
the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.

Meant to check the credits on her...

It's not bad for a first ep. I do hope the freeze action shots even out a bit as they go on.

The cross dressing son does seem a bridge too far, but let's see how they play it as they go along.

Like, as I said before, Showtime read the pilot and asked Carnahan to throw in something else quirky and "edgy" about Marty's family

Hell, I would have rather had the father be a cross-dresser

On another note, I wouldn't mind seeing Donald Glover on this show in some capacity, maybe as Marty's son or brother

________________________________________________________________________
A TOM CROOZE PRODUCTION.

who used to be on My Wife and Kids

I look forward to seeing more of her, but otherwise I am not feeling this show at all.

i'm really disappointed.

this was barely watchable. don cheadle (one of my favorite actors) was the only thing that helped me get through it.

i mean, what's the target audience, 15 year old boys? it's trying SO HARD.

I hate the Zack Morris freeze stopping shit.

i think this show is eating itself alive...lol

i like don cheadle. i am well versed in management consulting.
and yet i don't think i can overlook the frequency of those corny pauses
it also feels like it is trying too hard to be cool.

i am ten minutes in and i have yet to encounter a genuine moment that allows me to forget that they are acting.

i will give it three episodes before giving up on it.

It tries way too hard. Can't mask bad writing with even shittier direction. Cheadle should have known better.

As others have said, it just tries too hard. They have to really improve the supporting players more and tone down Cheadle's character (and enough with the freeze frames.) The core of the show should probably be Kristen Bell's character, trying to keep the company afloat while dealing with her genius but troubled and all over the place lead consultant.

Actually, Cheadle would be great in that role and bring someone else to be the flamboyant star.

It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here (are they just going to try to land clients every week?) but I don't have Showtime so I'll just wait to hear how it ends up and catch up on DVD if it's any good.

and this one is borderline. Theres some ass and all...but damn.

..but i'm not impressed

*granted, i'm a tough critic (even moreso with cable networks)

honestly, the premise has potential, but i thought the set up was poor, pacing sporadic, and the cast is subpar.

outside of cheadle & thurman, i could care less about the principle roles.

cheadle's brash, arrogant, witty, and his own worst enemy. its almost as if someone sat down and said 'let's make the most despicable character on tv and get everyone to fall in love with him.'

the business end of the plot is severely flawed, leaving only the family drama to float this series. the fact that they stuffed 3 eps worth of info into the pilot is a decent reminder that they're under the gun for the hard sell.

that said, they have 2 more eps to make me a believer...


..and miles to go before i sleep...

i think a show about high finance would have been much more intriguing in today's climate than this bland subculture of bullshitters.

we fuck
we curse
we cheat
we lie
we're dicks

they are trying way too hard to be slick

i'm giving it another shot but
eh meh
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

Even the gay son, while funny, is joyless and snarky. When did TV give up on heroes?

its the trying to hard thing and not being entertaining while doing it

i've seen some crude shit...but when its done 'entertainingly'
(um...let it slide)
i'm fine with it
this feels like a 5 year old who just learned how to curse
theres no shock value and zero pizzaz


~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

is col. taylor old enough to be don cheadles father? and is his ex puerto rican or something, cause aint no way black ass don cheadle and that light bright made that boy, unless he got some brown in her somewhere....just sayin

to this thread. but I could see it being bad as you say. I'll probably never know but the cast sounds better than this show does. I don't really like the concept, sounds like another one of those witty, charming USA shows I'd watch for 5 minutes while something else is on commercial.

except dirty cause it's on a sub. service.

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." © Jay Bilas

http://www.last.fm/user/NodimaChee
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..more fumbling babble about why the world needs more assholes like them, while tryin' to make it look cool, but failin' miserably at it

i really can't imagine anyone on that cast watchin' the final cut for any of these eps and honestly bein' happy with their performances.

the writing is weak.

if this were on abc/disney, it MIGHT slide with a c

right now, its failing

BIGTIME

1 more ep and i'm out


..and miles to go before i sleep...

brings something new to cable viewers. It's a show starring Don Cheadle as a Management Consultant named Marty Kaan, who's at the top of his game. He has a team of consultants he leads and he teaches us the ins and outs of being a Management consultant. The feel and the flow of the show is slick and contemporary. There is humor with crudeness and a lot of "in your face" moments and comments delivered at different times by the entire cast, especially Marty.

Marty has a gender confused son, a retired shrink father played by Glynn Turman, and an unstable self focused (yet can be professional at times) ex wife. Who knew Management consultants used such a large amount of jargon and humor? As we get to know Marty and enjoy the adult escapades and situations he experiences, he explains to us the nuances and culture of the Management consultant field. Marty is good at what he does, which requires a lot of slick talking and coercion. He's a master salesman with a truly "grown man" life. Nothing is held back when he shares his experiences with women. Cheadle as Marty will be feast or famine. I suspect that some will love his character Marty, and some will hate him. Nevertheless, you won't be indifferent to him.

Marty's team consists of two men and a woman, played by Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, and Kristen Bell. The team are all very comfortable with Marty's brass in your face style, as they engage in it with him and appear to enjoy it too. They are pretty decent compliments to Marty, as none of them outshine him, or provide a more interesting experience. They've only given us a small glimpse of the lives of the team members so far. It's very clear that this show is about Marty Kaan's professional and very personal life as a successful, clever, slick, intelligent, yet still emotionally vulnerable Management Consultant.

The writing doesn't blow you away. The characters won't blow you away. But, it's all good enough to entertain. There is enough eye candy, and the writing is mature enough and complex enough. There is definitely a foundation for a very good show, as well as plenty of room for improvement. House of Lies may not "do it" for everyone, but
is definitely worth checking out, and will provide sensory treats and some laughs.

>There is enough eye candy,



no there isnt
there really isnt
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

..is enough

this show has the same scenarios played out each week

cheadle gets:

an angle
a call from the principal
angry-ex sex
a dilemma
random new-sex
a rock & a hard place
a smooth get-away

which all spells boredom

i am not entertained.

i do believe this is my stop.

i bid you, adieu...



..and miles to go before i sleep...

They've established the formula...they've started adding dilemmas to give Cheadle's character depth (which are DESPERATELY needed otherwise he is easily despicable)...the members of his team are a bit type cast but they have engaging enough personalities....

I'm hooked. For no other reason that Cheadle is a FANTASTIC actor and seeing him play this type of character is worth the price of admission alone.

D

That 4th wall shit is still awkward to me tho

Cheadle is sarcastically funny enough to make you over look his douchey attitude. But his son humanizes him enough to make you wish he'd wise up and be more human. That constant tension makes the show compelling to me.

or at least...as much as you can in a Dark comedy

1st Ep...he's a complete dick but he also sticks up for his son in which you would THINK his character would try to "de-gayify" his son.

2nd Ep...between the opening flashback about his past to the way he is losing it towards the end?

It's a slow burn and the comedic moments are killer when they are executed well.

D

As everyone's already said Cheadle is the draw here. Everything else is just sort of extra. Kristen Bell reminds me every week why she's not sexy.

I can't wait to see more from jean ralphio.

This feels like californication with a more likable character, but only slightly because he too sort of sux.

THAT IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HER

a lil disgusting but the scene between Dawn and Roscoe?!?

Man...that lil scene when Marty came home is what makes this show worth tuning in to me every fucking week.

I will not let this post die.

Y'all are wrong about this show.

D

The more cracks they show in Marty's personal life and professional life and the less of him being an all winning asshole, the better the show becomes. The less they show of Roscoe acting like a transgender sideshow and more as a confused little boy, the better the show is. I think the show can be decent if they can figure out the balance and go with that.

>The more cracks they show in Marty's personal life and
>professional life and the less of him being an all winning
>asshole, the better the show becomes. The less they show of
>Roscoe acting like a transgender sideshow and more as a
>confused little boy, the better the show is. I think the show
>can be decent if they can figure out the balance and go with
>that.

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It has a lot of potential (like the early seasons of Entourage) and I hope that they continue to balance the character development with the outrageous comedy.

My biggest concern is the procedural aspect of the show. The writers and show runners on House did a pretty good job in the last couple seasons (not so much this one) with putting the procedural aspect of the show on back burner and pushing up the character development and personal relationships. That's where this show needs to head to stay fresh and viable.

Just not as funny and with less heart. I'll stick around for the rest of the season and see where it goes based on the strength of Cheadle and Bell.

that last ep was dark as hell.. felt like hypnosis at one point. not feeling this show anymore, actually i wasnt feelin it to begin with. im out.

But I like a back stabbing drama with comic relief.

one
k. orr

Liked it from the beginning, but now that it's getting a little more dark - I'm loving it. I can't wait to see how all this shakes out re: the merger/the break-up/custody.

how the last ep ended?
Because you know that Roscoe is attached to her.
Know what else,.... I'm almost expecting Marty to seek therapy.
Unlikely, I know,....but it feels like it should happen.
If its a female therapist, he'll fuck her in the 1st session, though.

and this is what this one did. a lot of comments sounded real impatient. it's picked up steam nicely and while it can get messy in some moments, its throwing out a lot of heavy character issues in need of resolution.

i suppose before the season's end they will delve deeper into his mother's suicide, it needs to get fleshed out.

the two white dudes and their sparring are kinda annoying tho, but otherwise I love it

who thought that those 2 White dudes in The Pod are annoying as fuck.
Especially, dude who thinks he's a pussy-magnet (I forgot his name).
Mid-season, and I'm like "enough!"
I want him to fall on his ass.
The White chick, she's cool. I see her purpose.