30 replies to this topic

[Pippytu]

being new here is this for reviews of the series?

[Omar G]

It's for any mentions of the show in the media. Links to articles, reviews, interviews, etc.

[TWoP Barnes]

It’s Not About the Copious Fake Sex. Really. By Joe Rhodes at The New York Times (which may require free registration). Excerpt:

"It reminded me of movies that I love from the '70s like 'Shampoo' or 'Blume in Love,' where they are adult sex comedies," [Duchovny] said in his trailer between scenes, decongestants and tissues at the ready. "I hate to say that because I'm already going to combat that kind of very easy tag people will have for the show. I'm sure there's going to be people calling it 'Sex Files' and 'Triple X Files' and all that."

I Like to Watch: Showtime's "Californication," Bravo's "Flipping Out" and CBS' "Big Brother 8" demonstrate why hedonism and self-indulgence are no shortcut to happiness" by Heather Havrilesky at Salon (Salon.com is pay to play, or you can view an ad to get access to its content). Please note the article discusses Flipping Out and Big Brother 8, as well. Excerpt:

Mind of the unmarried man
This tension between responsibility and hedonistic self-indulgence strikes at the tumultuous heart of Showtime's "Californication" (premieres at 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 13, after the return of "Weeds"). The half-hour comedy stars David Duchovny as novelist Hank Moody, a horny middle-aged guy who handles writer's block by cruising for hot younger chicks. He's having a reasonably exciting time, albeit in a drunken, self-deprecating, wishy-washy sort of way, but his escapades feel increasingly unsavory as his own daughter approaches her teen years.

New Showtime series rocks California-style, by Tamara Conniff at The Hollywood Reporter (whose editors are among the 65% of people who no longer give a hoot about the traditional usage rules for "comprise" -- which is why this country is going to hell, but I digress). Excerpt:

The series, which premieres at 10:30 p.m. Aug. 13, stars David Duchovny as a novelist who is struggling to raise his 13-year-old daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) while still carrying a torch for his ex, Karen (Natascha McElhone). In the episode in question, Becca is sent to a School of Rock, where her parents watch her perform the Warren Zevon song "Don't Let Us Get Sick" at a battle of the bands.

Showtime offers one-two comedy punch, by Bruce R. Miller at The Sioux City Journal. Excerpt (mild spoilers for Weeds):

Sex and drugs.

That's the one-two punch of Showtime's two comedies, "Californication" and "Weeds."

The former, starring "X-Files" lead David Duchovny, teems with sex. The latter, now entering its third season, has the drugs angle nailed.

See David Duchovny's Ass! by Marc Malkin at E! online's Planet Gossip. This article also discusses Weeds.

[Pippytu]

Showtime's Californication

A show about getting screwed, both literally and…

Dante Maddox, CraveOnline

August 6, 2007

The show boasts an
outstanding cast, a main character that is fascinating, and a supporting
cast that is sure to keep you coming back for more.

http://www.craveonli.../ar...rnication.

[Sandman]

I believe the joint online ads for Weeds and Californication on the Garden of Eden theme ("Give in to temptation") are intended to be cheerfully cheesy instead of cringetastic, but Duchovny's hilarious "It's a living" expression makes it all almost worth it. "I know, right?" says Duchovny's face. "You should've heard Mary-Louise when they told us."

[brandmed]

Does anyone know if this show is going to be available on iTunes? I don't have cable, but I really want to check this show out.

[Pippytu]

TUBE TALK
Crashing a pal's pad worth it for Showtime
Wednesday, August 8, 2007 8:06 AM
By MOLLY WILLOW


The last time David Duchovny appeared regularly on television, as agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files, his show averaged as many as 18.3 million people a week.

These days, even if his new comedy does extremely well with its Monday debut, Duchovny couldn't possibly match that number.

Californication -- in which he stars as a frustrated, narcissistic novelist -- is carried on Showtime.

Not that many people get Showtime (a premium service that has 14.5 million subscribers, compared with the 29 million of HBO), but more should.

Not just because Californication ranks as one of the funniest new series I've seen in years but also because it is paired with another of the funniest series on television, also on Showtime.

That's pretty impressive for a network with fewer subscribers than the NBC game show Deal or No Deal had average viewers during the past season. Read the whole thing here

http://www.columbusd...D1_EE7HUT3.html




CALIFORNICATION

Or, let's watch David Duchovny have sex with an improbable number of very limber naked girls. .

http://saxonb.livejo....com/82205.html





Duchovny Performs Californication
http://www.moviesonl...news_12680.html


UGO Rating
Direction: A-
Writing: A-
Visual Appeal : A-
Performances: A
Overall: A-

Californication Review

By Brooke Tarnoff

"There is more female frontal nudity than you could shake a stick at, if you'll excuse my unintentional double entendre - and a few shots of David Duchovny's bare rump too."

http://www.ugo.com/u....38&sectionId=2

Edited by Pippytu, Aug 8, 2007 @ 6:53 PM.

[Scrb]

I wonder if anyone will compare this show to Dream On at all?

Sounds very similar. The previews just show a lot of naked or semi-naked women.

Dream On of course featured a lot of actresses disrobing, many of whom went on to bigger roles, after which, they never bothered to disrobe on film again.

[Omar G]

I wonder if anyone will compare this show to Dream On at all?

I think you just did.

[Scrb]

I meant in the media, you know with reviews and so forth.

Lets hope it has some more substance than Dream On.

As well as the titillation.

[luna33]

I just watched the first episode. It IS a bit like 'Dream On', which I kind of hated. But mostly because who would believe all those hot women would sleep with THAT creepy little guy. Whereas David Duchovny...come on. Clearly, one doesn't have to suspend any kind of belief system to buy into this. The man is beautiful, and cerebral, and funny.

I did have to wonder, however, if he ever does anything besides lie there and let the women bounce atop him. He's lovely and all, but a little effort would be appreciated. As would full frontal Duchovny.

I liked the show...it's trying a little too hard right now, but you can forgive that in a pilot. But whatever...it's David Duchovny back on tv (or, as it were, my computer.) I'm there.

Edited by luna33, Aug 10, 2007 @ 2:18 AM.

[kamy]

Canada is recognizing this show too:

http://www.nowtoront...motecontrol.php

hopefully the link works...

[kamy]

here's another one from Canada:

http://www.thestar.c.../article/245642

again, hope the link works...

[Omar G]

The Gray Lady's take on the show.

Of the reviews I've read, I've agreed with this one the most.

[jcpbmg]

I agreed with the Times review as well, and to be pretty honest I'm shocked considering I usually disagree with their reviews and find their critics tend to have no appreciation for quality TV.

On another note Sepinwall has a scathing review of the show. He goes pretty hard at Duchovney (which in my opinion Duchovney doesn't fully deserve, but partially does because in the end he did take a producer credit).

Edited by jcpbmg, Aug 13, 2007 @ 4:19 PM.

[Raja]

Blog entry from Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle extolling Showtime and it's recent series. Also confirmation that the naked girl in the preview for next weeks episode who looked suspiciously like Paula Marshall is in fact Paula Marshall. Hopefully the beautiful, talented, and neglected Paula Marshall gets a bounce in her career out of this and an escape her "show killer" reputation.

http://sfgate.com/cg...;entry_id=19343

[Pippytu]

Californication: Showtime's best scripted comedy debut ever!
Author: Network Ten | Aug 16, 2007, 15:52 Showtime's newcomer, Californication, has got off to a raging start in the US.

The new series staring David Duchovny has received rave reviews and is being touted as the "best new TV show in years".

http://www.ebroadcas...ion-160807.html

[TWoP Mars]

A few more media mentions:

CNN article titled "Duchovny gets physical -- and sexual -- in show

NY Post interview with Duchovny

Review of the series at Blogcritics.org

Korbi's Quickie take at E! Online, which says:

Californication: Did I tell you? More boobies in one half hour of television than you’ve ever seen before! Question is, were you into it or not? I kind of dug Duchovny’s unapologetic character. He just sort of tells it like it is, and does what he wants. And yeah, he’s an ass, but he’s kind of cool at the same time. The chemistry between him and his ex-wife is palpable and nice to watch, in my humble opinion. I’ll keep watching.

[Omar G]

The new series staring David Duchovny has received rave reviews and is being touted as the "best new TV show in years".

No.

[arabica]

The new series staring David Duchovny has received rave reviews and is being touted as the "best new TV show in years".

I am a David Duchovny fan, but even I am not ready to agree with that statement....yet. I think this show has a lot of potential though.

I believe the majority of reviews are positive towards this show, or at the very least, hopeful.

Here is a ***1/2 star review from USA Today. [url="http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2007-08-12-californication-N.htm"]

[Pippytu]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Starr
NY Post

August 23, 2007 -- Showtime for David

Two of Showtime's summers series are heading in different directions.

David Duchovny's return to series TV on "Californica tion" has been a
success, so far - at least by Showtime's pay-cable viewership standards. The
first episode of "Californi cation" (Aug. 13) averaged 550,000 viewers,
which increased to 684,000 viewers (+24 percent) this past Monday.
http://www.nypost.co....arr_report.htm



If Only Showtime Had HBO's Promo Dept

Meanwhile, critics have reviled Showtime's Californication, but I adore it. For one thing, the show is way more illustrative of Hollywood (and Los Angeles) than HBO's jumped-the-shark Entourage. For another, the writers and David Duchovny brilliantly humiliate that hubris infused guy we all know with enough self-destruction to make him likeable, a near impossibility on series like this.
read the whole thing here
http://www.deadlineh....rketing-depts/

Edited by Pippytu, Aug 23, 2007 @ 6:42 PM.

[elvira7]

The New Yorker’s take on the show.

Screwed Up

The reviewer thinks Duchovny is an appealing presence, but she's clearly no fan of the show itself.

[karmic380]

It seems that not all of Australia has been as receptive to the new show as I have been:

Article on ninemsn.com.au

[Omar G]

NY Times story about this video and Showtime's new naughty slogan.

When it comes to this show, I certainly can't argue with the word "shit."

[arabica]

Along the same line, here is an article where The catholic church is protesting against Californication.

I totally love how all of the conservatives have their panties all tied up in a bunch over this. How dare they show a nipple or discuss sex and relationships openly on a tv show? And the Catholic church of all things is rebelling? The same church who doesn't want to discuss their own pedophile priests who ruin young children's lives?

[Omar G]

I think they had an issue with a nun giving a blowjob in a church. Which they kind of frown upon, those jerks.

[dr malcolm]

I think they missed the point that that was a dream. Actually, if you wanted to really look at it, Hank was just dreaming about going to church to try to find some clarity. Then the girl he was actually with gave him a blowjob in his sleep, which intruded on his dream. So it's not even like it was a fantasy.

Some journalist over there, Andrew Bolt, gave dire warnings in last week's article about watching this show. Something about how, if the impressionable watch it, soon there will be raping and pillaging and corruption in the streets, the usual bullshit. Funny how people are always up in arms about sex, a natural part of life, but not violence. Another show premiered in Australia the same night as Californication, called City Homicide, apparently a pretty violent and graphic show. But is that the one that has people upset? Of course not. Because violence = ok. Sex = evil.

[arabica]

I think they had an issue with a nun giving a blowjob in a church. Which they kind of frown upon, those jerks.

No, not jerks. That's not what I meant at all. I am a Catholic myself. But that doesn't mean that I need the church to dictate to me what I can or cannot watch, read or see. The church handled their own moral problems very badly, imho. It only goes to show that repression doesn't work. Hiding a problem doesn't make that problem go away.

The nun giving a blowjob in a church, is only an image from one man's fantasy on a fictional tv show. I think people watching this show already know that. Seeing it isn't going to shake my faith. Real life is where the church should be more concerned with in how they are perceived. It is the reality of certain moral stances and how the church deals with their own problems that makes me question my faith sometimes.

And what Dr Malcolm said, I totally agree.

Edited by arabica, Sep 3, 2007 @ 11:51 AM.

[luvdave]

Californication gets picked up for a second season.