What a masterful series. Dreadful but well acted. I’m still trying to get Darren Criss as Cunanan out of my mind—it’s haunting me. Frankly I hope I never have to see him again.
OP: Have you heard of the Beatles yet?
Can't wait to hear what you think when you finally buy one of their albums.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | February 21, 2019 6:49 PM |
It’s 2019. I’m not buying anyone’s album.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | February 21, 2019 6:50 PM |
I hear there is this new band called Queen.
kidding, I never saw it either until Netflix and now I have it memorized from so many viewings. Intriguing even if flawed. The notion that Versace lives on while Cunanan is forgotten feels a bit disingenuous when we've just spent 10 hours watching his story (and barely Versace's).
by Anonymous | reply 3 | February 21, 2019 6:52 PM |
I thought it was vastly inferior to OJ Simpson. That said, Darren Criss' ass is perfection, so thank you Versace.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | February 21, 2019 6:55 PM |
It was on par with the OJ one to me. It had a different eerie vibe to it and the acting was good. Also I agree with r4 in that it offered up Criss' nude ass a couple times.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | February 21, 2019 7:01 PM |
Yeah it shocked me how much it revolves around Cunanan. It made me want to get it over with. Usually when I watch something I’m really into, I hope it never ends. With ACS: People Vs. OJ, it felt like I could’ve watched that forever.
But this was the opposite. I only kept watching because I felt I had to finish it, and I was glad to finally see the end.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | February 21, 2019 7:02 PM |
R5 it definitely had its moments (Wittrock's gay sailor being a highlight) but not enough overall for me.
And again...DAT ASS.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | February 21, 2019 7:10 PM |
They fucked it up by having the narrative go backwards.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | February 21, 2019 7:10 PM |
I don't get the love for Criss's acting.
It was entertaining.
But when he did that scene in the car by himself in South Beach, -- where he ACTS -- I had absolutely no sense for what he was going for. And, I suspect, neither did he.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | February 21, 2019 7:12 PM |
I think that my trouble sexualizing the character is a testament to his acting. All I saw was a monster. I was in no way attracted to him. I just wanted to see him dead.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | February 21, 2019 7:15 PM |
I was only attracted to him in it when his clothes were off.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | February 21, 2019 7:23 PM |
Darren Criss is the physical embodiment of everything I desire in men, so for him to repulse me in this series is saying something. It means he did his job well.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | February 21, 2019 7:37 PM |
I had trouble watching this. Cross did a great job. Cunanan was a horrible person
by Anonymous | reply 13 | February 21, 2019 7:50 PM |
If you search OP, you can read all the many threads on this show filled with all the DL discussion you can handle. Join us live next time.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | February 21, 2019 7:50 PM |
R12 I mean he's cute, but everything?
by Anonymous | reply 15 | February 21, 2019 7:56 PM |
I just meant he’s my type. His face, eyes, hair, height, skin tone. I figured he might actually make me fall in love with this Andrew Cunanan, of whom I knew little. How wrong I was.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | February 21, 2019 8:01 PM |
I think a lot of the praise Criss is getting is because he just happens to look like Cunanan.
That's not the same thing as great acting.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | February 21, 2019 8:06 PM |
Does he? One of my issues was how much cuter Criss was than the real Cunanan -- who was much more ethnic on sight.
Moments like him dancing in his undies while the guy struggles not to die felt totally exploitive. All that serious "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"/closet case danger stuff couldn't disguise how much Murphy was enjoying the sordidness. And they took major liberties with Andrew's private thoughts which nobody really knew.
However... I love the moment when the guy picks him up on the dance floor and asks what he does and Cunanan smiles and answers, 'I'm a serial killer." Knowing the guy can't really hear him over the loud music. Then that nice speech that follows tying in so many of the characters. His Emmy moment for me.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | February 21, 2019 8:49 PM |
"I'm the person you're least likely to forget... I'm Andrew Cunanan."
by Anonymous | reply 19 | February 21, 2019 8:54 PM |
It's like you people have never seen an ass before. His is fine, but there are much much better butts out there
by Anonymous | reply 20 | February 21, 2019 9:03 PM |
Not in mainstream television, R20.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | February 21, 2019 9:06 PM |
I wondered how they kept his dick from flopping on that side shot of him diving him naked. Tape?
by Anonymous | reply 22 | February 21, 2019 9:09 PM |
While I don't think it's the best of ever seen, it is one of the nicer ones, especially for TV R20
by Anonymous | reply 23 | February 21, 2019 9:09 PM |
R22 It was removed digitally.
Post-production "gender confirmation" surgery.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | February 21, 2019 9:11 PM |
I just feel like Murphy gets off on torture and pain and murder and I don't get that
by Anonymous | reply 25 | February 21, 2019 9:11 PM |
Criss is the definition of 'eye candy'
by Anonymous | reply 26 | February 21, 2019 9:13 PM |
[QUOTE]I just feel like Murphy gets off on torture and pain and murder and I don't get that
Does Martin Scorsese get off on it, too? Or just gay people?
by Anonymous | reply 27 | February 21, 2019 9:34 PM |
I'd guess he wore a cock sock and they did remove it digitally later.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | February 21, 2019 9:38 PM |
[quote]I wondered how they kept his dick from flopping on that side shot of him diving him naked. Tape?
As R28 said, they wear socks, and as R22 said they remove it later in post. They do sometimes tape it down though.
This happened quite a bit in American Horror Story to the point where it was very obvious they were doing it when a mysterious "blink and you'd miss it" blur would appear where you'd normally see a penis in a sock.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | February 21, 2019 9:51 PM |
R27
Martin Scorcese too. And Lars von Trier. nothing to do with being gay
by Anonymous | reply 30 | February 21, 2019 10:42 PM |
Thanks, guys, interesting. I must say my first response was that Criss must have a tiny dick -- not exactly what he wanted, I am sure. Did you know SAG-AFTRA doesn't allow body parts to be altered digitally on an actor? I learned that when they showed a fake tiny dick on the hot guy in "Girls Will Be Girls" and apparently got in some (minor) hot water over it. Wonder if the pool dive counts as the same?
by Anonymous | reply 31 | February 22, 2019 12:37 AM |
It is a dark story. Leaves you feeling sordid and depressed. But good TV.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | February 22, 2019 1:21 AM |
R18 That scene really did elevate Criss's performance. So eerie. Criss is far more talented than people here are willing to admit. I also think he's very well liked among his casts and crews. When he won that Emmy, the whole cast rocketed out of their seats.
Telling the story backwards eliminated the inevitable build up to and focus on Versace's murder. That was the point of the series: to eulogize the men murdered before Versace because they'd been erased from the narrative because they were gay and not famous.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | February 22, 2019 1:42 AM |
R31, It's the FX network. They will not show frontal nudity (dicks) on their television network. I'm not sure why you think they would? There's actual porn for that. They will pixelate it. They will position it so that you can't see it.
They have shown frontal nudity on their paid service FX+ (penises.) They have a different set of standards for their online services vs. broadcast. However, when that episode (of the tv show Atlanta) aired on the network the nudity was pixelated. That's not the same as altering it digitally for the sake of having the body part appear differently than it actually is.
However, it's all about consent. He agreed verbally to do the nudity before shooting it. He signed a contract clarifying what he is willing to show, what will be shown, how it will be shown, how long it will be shown etc. He agreed verbally again afterwards during the day of the shoot. That's for both everyone's protection. Deviating from that has the potential to cause issues.
Back to the performance:
I remember watching the series and thinking Criss was horrible at first and then as I continued to watch I found his performance utterly disturbing which was exactly the point.
[quote]I just feel like Murphy gets off on torture and pain and murder and I don't get that
On American Horror Story he is telling a horror story. On this show he was weaving a sordid tale of a mad man. I don't think he did anything that was unnecessary. There were points where I thought he went too far on the former series but I think it's obvious he has finally gotten over his "rape as a plot/torture device" tendencies because of the amount of negative feedback.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | February 22, 2019 8:50 AM |
People attribute everything to Murphy. This entire series was written by Tom Rob Smith.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | February 22, 2019 11:36 AM |
I thought it was a comedy.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | February 22, 2019 11:43 AM |
On E3. That set up with Judith Light as Mrs. Miglin tapping her acrylic nails before her friend screams, is a tiny masterpiece.
Well done!
by Anonymous | reply 37 | March 2, 2019 4:33 PM |
[quote]They fucked it up by having the narrative go backwards.
No, that's exactly how they should have done it, because otherwise the other victims become even more ancillary because we're just waiting for him to kill Versace.
[quote]On E3. That set up with Judith Light as Mrs. Miglin tapping her acrylic nails before her friend screams, is a tiny masterpiece.
What's even more amazing is that Judith scored a (well-deserved) Emmy nom even though she didn't quite have enough screen time to technically qualify.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | March 2, 2019 6:16 PM |
And they pretty much nailed the 90s gay club aesthetic.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | March 2, 2019 6:16 PM |
R38, she was freakin’ FANTASTIC! I really enjoyed watching her as Mrs. Miglin. I watched OLTL as a kid and a teen, so I was pleasantly surprised to see her on ER of this series. She has great acting chops, and I’d love to see her in more. Beatrice Straight got a very well deserved Oscar for Network, and she wasn’t on screen very long either. I haven’t a clue what the guidelines are for the Academy’s nominations regarding screen time, however.
R39, yes. They really did capture the gay club scene perfectly. I agree.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | March 2, 2019 11:20 PM |
Correction:
to see her on E3 of this series.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | March 2, 2019 11:26 PM |
Show sucked. Versace was good, but Penelope talked like mushmouth. The only one that I thought was a revelation was Max Greenfield. I didn't even know it was him at first.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | March 2, 2019 11:36 PM |
Is there actually a rule regarding screen time? I remember when Cate Blanchette won for playing Hepburn in The Aviator- her role was barely 5 minutes total.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | March 2, 2019 11:36 PM |
I think to qualify as a Supporting and not Guest, you have to be in a certain percentage of the runtime.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | March 2, 2019 11:42 PM |
R42, it’s not Citizen Kane, but it’s more than watchable, and above average. And yes, I understand why CK is such an amazing film, due to multiple factors.
I agree that Max Greenfield was a revelation. I too, did not know it was him.
I think that this is what makes the series worth watching. Most of the cast members gave really good performances.
Sometimes, that alone, can carry a series, and I feel that this is the case with The Assassination of Gianni Versace: ACS.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | March 3, 2019 12:26 AM |
OJ's story is inherently more interesting because of his fame and his being well-liked, if not even beloved, by Americans. To be charged then with heinous murders?
Plus, he happened to have a trial replete with individuals, from judge to lawyers to witnesses to jury to spectators, who were like mini-series unto themselves. Kato! Ito! F. Lee! Fuhrman! Mr. Fung! Darden! Cochran! Fenjves! Boztepe! Bruno Magli! Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!
Plus, race.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | March 3, 2019 3:34 AM |
Light was good but her clipped reading of almost every word threw me a bit. Did the real Miglin lady talk like that, on air and off? Curious.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | March 3, 2019 3:40 AM |
I found it entertaining in spurts but it didn’t hold together that well as a cohesive narrative. I think pulp fiction ruined storytelling. It was masterful on screen but it gave people license to jump around all over the place and not everyone is as good at it as Quentin the Toesucker.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | March 3, 2019 3:42 AM |
That said, I found the Cunanan story compelling, with Criss's giving a clear Emmy-winning performance as a charismatic sociopath.
Lee Miglin (the real one) and this newly-dead news guy show how living in the closet really can be fatal. Judith Light was a perfect Marilyn M., Entrepreneur Extraordinaire.
And Max Greenfield? Brilliant, effortless (seemingly), human.
by Anonymous | reply 49 | March 3, 2019 3:43 AM |
For r47: The real Marilyn Miglin on HSN. She is not the first speaker.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | March 3, 2019 3:53 AM |
Yeah, seeing Max in this only made me hate the idea of him in that godawful CBS sitcom even more. Run away, Max, go for the Oscar instead.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | March 3, 2019 4:09 AM |
Thanks, R50. Did she ever admit that her husband had been a closet case or did she insist to this day otherwise (ala Brad Davis's wife)?
by Anonymous | reply 52 | March 3, 2019 4:11 AM |
I watched an episode or two then lost interest. I didn’t want to watch several nice gays ,murdered. Cross must have been good since he won every TV ward for it.
Now Netflix’s Dark Water I couldn’t stop watching.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | March 3, 2019 5:09 AM |
What, r53?
by Anonymous | reply 54 | March 3, 2019 5:21 AM |
After watching two minutes of Marilyn Miglin, I'm thinking that Lee probably paid Cunanan to murder him.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | March 3, 2019 4:18 PM |
Is it actually good? Every Ryan Murphy production turns into an unwatchable, plotless, amateurish mess halfway through the season. Is this legitimately good? Or just by Muphy standards?
by Anonymous | reply 56 | March 3, 2019 4:50 PM |
It is legitimately good.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | March 3, 2019 4:54 PM |
[quote]Now Netflix’s Dark Water I couldn’t stop watching
Do you mean Deep Water, the Australian show?
by Anonymous | reply 58 | March 3, 2019 4:57 PM |
Deep Water is also great, but they're very different shows.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | March 3, 2019 4:58 PM |
Yes I always get the title wrong. I even looked it up at IMDb.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | March 3, 2019 5:01 PM |
God rest his soul but I couldn’t help thinking how foolish it was for Gianni Versace to have his home out in the open in Miami like that. Textbook case on why celebrities live in those isolated enclaves where somebody like Andrew has a harder time getting close.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | April 7, 2019 8:18 PM |