The Black Donnellys

[Beyle]

Kirk Acevedo

*sigh*

That is all. I need to watch this show!

[berb]

chonies said:

I totally forgot it was on, so I'll watch it next week.

It's replaying tonight during ER's time slot.

[plainjane]

Chonies, I totally agree. This show walks a fine line between being a Godfather-rip off and being a Boondock Saints-ripoff, which consequently is also my least favorite movie. During that bar fight in the beginning, I almost rolled my eyes right out of my head. But I thought that it has potential to redeem itself. Even though I think Paul Haggis is the hackiest-hack ever and I hated Crash.

[swanflake]

I usually get totally outraged by all these shows and movies that romanticize and nobilize mafia-type violence, and this show was no exception. Please tell me there is some sort of Irish-American anti-defamation league that's taking some sort of action to express their distaste for this show.

[Deleted]

I've only seen the ads for it, but I think I know this show already. Here goes:

Drinkin', fisticuffs, a treasured bar in Tha Neighborhood, beer, if lovin' you is wrong I don't wanna be right, I could never love you Something Donnelly cuz ya broke my heart!, Ma, everyone knew them Donnellys was trouble, I was smart enough to go to college but I couldn't leave Tha Neighborhood, some Donnelly jumped by a member of another ethnic group, violent payback for that jumping, we Donnellys stick together!, let's have a drink, Ma again, I love ya Something Donnelly!

[Deleted]

I absolutely refuse to watch this show. Once again, Haggis rips off someone else to create a project. I cannot stand Haggis.

Black Donnellys is based on a real event in Canadian history, right outside the city where I currently live. It is a huge black mark on this area, so much so that when I first moved here, for the first two years everyone I met asked if I knew the story of the Black Donnellys.

Haggis, being from my current home city, and an untalented hack, stole local history and reframed it to make a buck. I am seething about this and have been since I first heard he was doing it.

Site of the real story about the real Black Donnellys here.

Recent article in my local paper, where Haggis was interviewed, and he comes off very arrogant and basically admits he stole the history to make a show that would make him money. NO credit to the real Black Donnellys and what they suffered, no credit to Canada or even his hometown. This entire project is so disrespectful I cannot stand it.

I want Studio 60, or anything else, and will never ever watch this crappy show.

[Ella]

The guy who plays Tommy looks like Nascar driver Kasey Khane. I'm no good at links but I think they look alike. Oh...I give the show three weeks.

[Binky]

I dunno, for all the stereotypes and, well, Haggisness...it's not nearly (as yet, anyway) as non-sensical as Studio 60, and it's characters don't irritate the shit out of me the way Studio 60's do, and...it's creator isn't using it as a forum to relive and rewrite his fucked up relationship with an ex-girlfriend. Therefore, it's better than the alternative and I think it may last.

[Atreides]

Recent article in my local paper, where Haggis was interviewed, and he comes off very arrogant and basically admits he stole the history to make a show that would make him money. NO credit to the real Black Donnellys and what they suffered, no credit to Canada or even his hometown. This entire project is so disrespectful I cannot stand it.

I don't get that at all from the article. Haggis used the same name and the show and the real-life events have a vague thematic similarity in the characters trying to make the best of a tough life but that's about it.

[Deleted]

atreides said:

Recent article in my local paper, where Haggis was interviewed, and he comes off very arrogant and basically admits he stole the history to make a show that would make him money. NO credit to the real Black Donnellys and what they suffered, no credit to Canada or even his hometown. This entire project is so disrespectful I cannot stand it.

I don't get that at all from the article. Haggis used the same name and the show and the real-life events have a vague thematic similarity in the characters trying to make the best of a tough life but that's about it.

An excerpt from the article.....

"As a title, The Black Donnellys means something to Canadians. But is the historical significance lost on most Americans?

"It's lost on all of them, of course," said London's Paul Haggis"

That sounds arrogant to me.

Additionally, the article does say that of course he got the idea from the Donnelly family massacre. He has been trying for years to bring it to tv. In order to make it onto American tv, he fit the story to suit American audiences. In essence, he stole a tragedy from Canada, from the area where he grew up, and when he couldn't float the real story for American tv, he kept the theme and even worse - the name of the massacred family. To me, this desecrates Canadian history and is extremely disrespectful to the history of this family and the entire story.

If he wanted to make a tv show that had absolutely nothing to do with the Donnelly family, then why keep the name? Because he IS ripping off their story. The characters and family depicted are very similar to the original Donnelly's.

In any case, nobody has to agree with me, but I remain disgusted by this and by Paul Haggis. The man cannot come up with a good original thought. Naming his movie Crash, when there was already another successful movie named Crash made by a more accomplished Canadian speaks to Haggis' lack of character. That's my opinion only but there it is.