"Luck": david milch + HBO + gambling = weeeeeeee
12-16-2011
, 06:24 AM
Quote:
I did it. God help me.
Here's the YTF "commentary track" for Episode One of Luck:
6:15 This is the toughest scene in the show to follow, because of Turo's accent. Escalante gives Leon (bug boy) his instructions, stripping him of his riding crop: "You don't need no stick. I've got to stay here. Jog him around once the wrong way around (the track), loosen him up for his race this afternoon." The kid remarks, "We run big with this horse today." Now Escalante has to make sure the kid understands the instructions he was just given--the last thing we need is some idiot jockey sprinting around the track and wearing out the horse before the race. "What??? Is this morning today? Or this afternoon?" The kid has no idea what the problem is. Puzzled, he asks, "What?"
Escalante is a busy man and has no patience for this kid's nonsense. "Pinhead, is this morning today so far?" When the kid replies in the affirmative (with the brilliant, "I guess sir, yes so."), Escalante repeats the instructions, "Then jog him once the wrong way around, and shut up on what you don't know, before I call Porky Pig on you." The kid takes it, bites his lip, and rides off.
The vet, making conversation, asks, "You met the limo driver yet?" Escalante scoffs, "And buys this horse for $2M? You pro'ly too think they really landed on the moon."
The blues music cranks, and Turo engages in this tough-to-hear exchange with the groom.
ESCALANTE: Yap, yap, yap, esta nino.
GROOM: Senor HablaMucho.
ESCALANTE: (chuckles) HablaMucho, si.
9:00 Nolte remarks to the night watchman, "I was wonderin' if maybe the last quarter (mile) the girl should loosen up, let him stretch the hell out." Then he asks the horse, "Feel like stretchin' out?" Then, as the music indicates something important is about to be said, he instructs the girl, "Maybe you'd let him stretch out a little in the lane." The girl can't hide her excitement. "Great! Cuz he's been pullin' my arms off!" For you horse newbs, this is her way of letting US know that she's been holding the horse back, and letting NOLTE know that this is an incredibly strong horse.
11:15 The Big Horse isn't just farting around any more, he's settling down into a jog. God, this music is kick-ass!
12:17 Marcus is studying his form, we see a brief close-up of his program, opened to the 4th race, a $12.5k claiming race (which would make these some of the cheapest horses on the grounds at a major-league track like Santa Anita, or the classiest horses on the grounds of a ****hole like Suffolk Downs or Mountaineer) 1 Mile on the main track (on the dirt, not the turf course).
He's got a circle around the 2-horse; a ton of notations around the 4-horse, which the program tells us is the 9-to-5 favorite; and a couple of cross-out marks in the blank spaces around the name of the 5-horse, Mon Gateau. The program lists each horse's owner, trainer, jock, morning line odds, and weight to be carried (the fine print at the top of the page, "the conditions", give a two-pound allowance to any horse who hasn't won at this distance since January 24, and one pound for every $1000 the owner knocks off the claiming price, up to two pounds; I'll explain claiming in the following post). Of the eight horses we see listed (the bottom of the page is out of frame), only one is carrying the entire 123 lbs. A couple carry 121, a few carry 119, and two stand out for carrying 113--each of these is a longshot with an apprentice jockey. The 3-horse's jockey has an asterisk next to his name; our 5-horse, Mon Gateau, trained by Turo Escalante, is ridden by Leon Micheaux, who has THREE asterisks next to his name. In army terms, he's not even a Private First Class yet, he's an E-1. You wouldn't think a 6-10 pound difference would matter much to a strong young horse, but in racing, it's a big deal.
14:08 The Big Horse is really starting exert himself now as they begin to turn for home. The rhythm of the hoofbeats has picked up substantially (14 minutes into the first episode, and ship the Sound Editing Emmy--the same sound editing you guys hope they "clean up" before the show runs in earnest???). The rider has her feet up on the dashboard, which means exactly what you think it means: she's dug in, trying to hold this horse back. Another nice touch: you'd have to pause it to see it, but the blanket under the saddle says "WS". Nolte's character is named Walter Smith. The camera angle makes it seem like the horse is coming around the turn so fast, he's fish-tailing like the cars in a Steve McQueen chase scene! I'll bet that little photographic stunt caught the attention of the novice viewer.
14:20 The moment they pass the quarter-pole (which marks a quarter-mile from the finish--it drives me nuts every time Chris Berman calls Week 4 in the NFL "the quarter pole", when there is still THREE-QUARTERS of a season to go!), the girl drops her fanny and crouches as low as she can, loosens the reins, and starts "scrubbing" the horse's neck, urging him to take off. Nick Nolte hits the stopwatch, and the horse literally JUMPS at the chance run as fast as he can. It's what he was BRED to do! His trainer has been bringing him along slowly--not a scam like Escalante pulls later in the episode, this is what a responsible trainer does with a young horse who's not nearly ready to race yet. He's not being whipped or kicked or shouted at, he's not being forced to perform under any duress--all that's happening is he is being given the opportunity to run as fast as he wants in a wide-open space. What more could a strong young horse want? The background is flying by in a blur, every muscle on this running machine is flexing...does tv have a cinematography Emmy?
15:39 "You singled the fourth? I had the fourth a semi-spread." "For a triple-bug apprentice who hasn't won ten races in his life, he's going to single a horse that hasn't run in two years." The quick close-up of the DRF text tells us young Micheaux L has 48 career mounts, 6 wins, 7 places, 3 shows, a win % of .12--not bad for a bug, but not HOF numbers, either. That's an average WEEK for some jocks! The chances to get on the track are few and far between for a bug at a big-league meet.
16:55 When Porky Pig is done chewing out the kid for running his mouth, the kid promptly runs his mouth. He drops his voice to a whisper, and confides that this horse is really fit. The kid just doesn't get it. Beneath the saddle is a red blanket with the initials "TE" on it.
17:15 "Mr Walter, listen, this guy's got nine more gears!", she pants. Riders get in sync with their horses, she knows what she's talking about. She knows that when she asks for it, the horse will be able to give her even more--a LOT more. This horse is a monster.
23:41 First authenticity problem: Kagle holds out a $50 bill for Jerry's picks. Everybody knows horse players think $50 bills are unlucky! (Lest anyone hold Milch in contempt for this oversight: in the script I read, it was $10!)
27:57 Escalante gives his instructions: "Listen to me: you keep'n'm covered up, so he don't go; when you ask o' him, you take'n'm WIDE, so you don't get'm stopped." He later repeats, "He gonna finish for you. Get'm'n WIDE, don't get'm'n STOPPED."
34:04 The kid's trapped on the rail (not bad riding, totally bad luck). When he sees an opening on the rail no wider than the horse's nose, he doesn't hesitate, he LUNGES for it! An incredible move for any jock, let alone a bug. This only makes Escalante's chilly reception in the Winners Circle even funnier.
39:45 Nolte mentions to the horse that he might be ready to race in a few weeks.
43:30 "What's her name?" "Tattered Flag." This is called "foreshadowing". Milch may as well have called her, "Purina Dog Chow", cuz that's what she'll be by the end of the week.
43:50 My favorite sound editing yet: as the starting gate moves into position, we hear chains dragging, a tractor puttering, and those gates creaking and slamming, each and every one of them. In this shot, the SOUND is setting the scene even better than the PICTURE is!
44:01 For the first time, we hear the voice of track announcer Trevor Denman in the background as the horses go into the gate. I'm hoping we hear a lot of Trevor over the course of this series. He's the best ever at what he does. He was featured prominently in Richard Dreyfuss' horse race comedy "Let It Ride", a film that I highly recommend (shocker!). Hey, it's funny. Ask anybody.
47:28 The kid is making his move, Gary Stevens urges from the stands, "The outside's the upside, bug!", the music is building to a crescendo...and I can't make my palms stop sweating, because I know those sound editors are standing by with a stalk of celery to make the sickest sound effect in all of sports.
47:33 SNAP! The crowd gasps. Even Gary Stevens has to turn and look away.
48:43 The boys win. The rising music obscures one of my favorite lines: we hear Lonnie shout "Champion of the World! Heavyweight Champ!", but it's tough to hear my favorite part: "Everyone kiss...my...ass!"
49:00 They may have cut out Kagle offering a 33% kickback of the IRS withholding, but they didn't cut it out of Marcus' summary: "$2.68 million and some, plus 33% of the withholding, plus 15 consolations."
??:?? I went back to add this, after I had finished watching. I've never seen a "night watchman" watching a single horse overnight before. "He slept through the night...licked his bucket clean"??? There's usually Track Security prowling the grounds, that's it, and they're not there to watch any one particular horse. I've also never seen a trainer hang around the barn all day, doing nothing, never leaving his horse's side. I don't know what happened to this horse's daddy 2000 miles away, or what Nick Nolte was supposed to do about it back then, but he sure seems intent on not letting it happen a second time.
54:11 Dustin Hoffman is talking to himself. You'll note I haven't mentioned him once in this write-up. As far as that arc goes, you guys are on your own.
Here's the YTF "commentary track" for Episode One of Luck:
6:15 This is the toughest scene in the show to follow, because of Turo's accent. Escalante gives Leon (bug boy) his instructions, stripping him of his riding crop: "You don't need no stick. I've got to stay here. Jog him around once the wrong way around (the track), loosen him up for his race this afternoon." The kid remarks, "We run big with this horse today." Now Escalante has to make sure the kid understands the instructions he was just given--the last thing we need is some idiot jockey sprinting around the track and wearing out the horse before the race. "What??? Is this morning today? Or this afternoon?" The kid has no idea what the problem is. Puzzled, he asks, "What?"
Escalante is a busy man and has no patience for this kid's nonsense. "Pinhead, is this morning today so far?" When the kid replies in the affirmative (with the brilliant, "I guess sir, yes so."), Escalante repeats the instructions, "Then jog him once the wrong way around, and shut up on what you don't know, before I call Porky Pig on you." The kid takes it, bites his lip, and rides off.
The vet, making conversation, asks, "You met the limo driver yet?" Escalante scoffs, "And buys this horse for $2M? You pro'ly too think they really landed on the moon."
The blues music cranks, and Turo engages in this tough-to-hear exchange with the groom.
ESCALANTE: Yap, yap, yap, esta nino.
GROOM: Senor HablaMucho.
ESCALANTE: (chuckles) HablaMucho, si.
9:00 Nolte remarks to the night watchman, "I was wonderin' if maybe the last quarter (mile) the girl should loosen up, let him stretch the hell out." Then he asks the horse, "Feel like stretchin' out?" Then, as the music indicates something important is about to be said, he instructs the girl, "Maybe you'd let him stretch out a little in the lane." The girl can't hide her excitement. "Great! Cuz he's been pullin' my arms off!" For you horse newbs, this is her way of letting US know that she's been holding the horse back, and letting NOLTE know that this is an incredibly strong horse.
11:15 The Big Horse isn't just farting around any more, he's settling down into a jog. God, this music is kick-ass!
12:17 Marcus is studying his form, we see a brief close-up of his program, opened to the 4th race, a $12.5k claiming race (which would make these some of the cheapest horses on the grounds at a major-league track like Santa Anita, or the classiest horses on the grounds of a ****hole like Suffolk Downs or Mountaineer) 1 Mile on the main track (on the dirt, not the turf course).
He's got a circle around the 2-horse; a ton of notations around the 4-horse, which the program tells us is the 9-to-5 favorite; and a couple of cross-out marks in the blank spaces around the name of the 5-horse, Mon Gateau. The program lists each horse's owner, trainer, jock, morning line odds, and weight to be carried (the fine print at the top of the page, "the conditions", give a two-pound allowance to any horse who hasn't won at this distance since January 24, and one pound for every $1000 the owner knocks off the claiming price, up to two pounds; I'll explain claiming in the following post). Of the eight horses we see listed (the bottom of the page is out of frame), only one is carrying the entire 123 lbs. A couple carry 121, a few carry 119, and two stand out for carrying 113--each of these is a longshot with an apprentice jockey. The 3-horse's jockey has an asterisk next to his name; our 5-horse, Mon Gateau, trained by Turo Escalante, is ridden by Leon Micheaux, who has THREE asterisks next to his name. In army terms, he's not even a Private First Class yet, he's an E-1. You wouldn't think a 6-10 pound difference would matter much to a strong young horse, but in racing, it's a big deal.
14:08 The Big Horse is really starting exert himself now as they begin to turn for home. The rhythm of the hoofbeats has picked up substantially (14 minutes into the first episode, and ship the Sound Editing Emmy--the same sound editing you guys hope they "clean up" before the show runs in earnest???). The rider has her feet up on the dashboard, which means exactly what you think it means: she's dug in, trying to hold this horse back. Another nice touch: you'd have to pause it to see it, but the blanket under the saddle says "WS". Nolte's character is named Walter Smith. The camera angle makes it seem like the horse is coming around the turn so fast, he's fish-tailing like the cars in a Steve McQueen chase scene! I'll bet that little photographic stunt caught the attention of the novice viewer.
14:20 The moment they pass the quarter-pole (which marks a quarter-mile from the finish--it drives me nuts every time Chris Berman calls Week 4 in the NFL "the quarter pole", when there is still THREE-QUARTERS of a season to go!), the girl drops her fanny and crouches as low as she can, loosens the reins, and starts "scrubbing" the horse's neck, urging him to take off. Nick Nolte hits the stopwatch, and the horse literally JUMPS at the chance run as fast as he can. It's what he was BRED to do! His trainer has been bringing him along slowly--not a scam like Escalante pulls later in the episode, this is what a responsible trainer does with a young horse who's not nearly ready to race yet. He's not being whipped or kicked or shouted at, he's not being forced to perform under any duress--all that's happening is he is being given the opportunity to run as fast as he wants in a wide-open space. What more could a strong young horse want? The background is flying by in a blur, every muscle on this running machine is flexing...does tv have a cinematography Emmy?
15:39 "You singled the fourth? I had the fourth a semi-spread." "For a triple-bug apprentice who hasn't won ten races in his life, he's going to single a horse that hasn't run in two years." The quick close-up of the DRF text tells us young Micheaux L has 48 career mounts, 6 wins, 7 places, 3 shows, a win % of .12--not bad for a bug, but not HOF numbers, either. That's an average WEEK for some jocks! The chances to get on the track are few and far between for a bug at a big-league meet.
16:55 When Porky Pig is done chewing out the kid for running his mouth, the kid promptly runs his mouth. He drops his voice to a whisper, and confides that this horse is really fit. The kid just doesn't get it. Beneath the saddle is a red blanket with the initials "TE" on it.
17:15 "Mr Walter, listen, this guy's got nine more gears!", she pants. Riders get in sync with their horses, she knows what she's talking about. She knows that when she asks for it, the horse will be able to give her even more--a LOT more. This horse is a monster.
23:41 First authenticity problem: Kagle holds out a $50 bill for Jerry's picks. Everybody knows horse players think $50 bills are unlucky! (Lest anyone hold Milch in contempt for this oversight: in the script I read, it was $10!)
27:57 Escalante gives his instructions: "Listen to me: you keep'n'm covered up, so he don't go; when you ask o' him, you take'n'm WIDE, so you don't get'm stopped." He later repeats, "He gonna finish for you. Get'm'n WIDE, don't get'm'n STOPPED."
34:04 The kid's trapped on the rail (not bad riding, totally bad luck). When he sees an opening on the rail no wider than the horse's nose, he doesn't hesitate, he LUNGES for it! An incredible move for any jock, let alone a bug. This only makes Escalante's chilly reception in the Winners Circle even funnier.
39:45 Nolte mentions to the horse that he might be ready to race in a few weeks.
43:30 "What's her name?" "Tattered Flag." This is called "foreshadowing". Milch may as well have called her, "Purina Dog Chow", cuz that's what she'll be by the end of the week.
43:50 My favorite sound editing yet: as the starting gate moves into position, we hear chains dragging, a tractor puttering, and those gates creaking and slamming, each and every one of them. In this shot, the SOUND is setting the scene even better than the PICTURE is!
44:01 For the first time, we hear the voice of track announcer Trevor Denman in the background as the horses go into the gate. I'm hoping we hear a lot of Trevor over the course of this series. He's the best ever at what he does. He was featured prominently in Richard Dreyfuss' horse race comedy "Let It Ride", a film that I highly recommend (shocker!). Hey, it's funny. Ask anybody.
47:28 The kid is making his move, Gary Stevens urges from the stands, "The outside's the upside, bug!", the music is building to a crescendo...and I can't make my palms stop sweating, because I know those sound editors are standing by with a stalk of celery to make the sickest sound effect in all of sports.
47:33 SNAP! The crowd gasps. Even Gary Stevens has to turn and look away.
48:43 The boys win. The rising music obscures one of my favorite lines: we hear Lonnie shout "Champion of the World! Heavyweight Champ!", but it's tough to hear my favorite part: "Everyone kiss...my...ass!"
49:00 They may have cut out Kagle offering a 33% kickback of the IRS withholding, but they didn't cut it out of Marcus' summary: "$2.68 million and some, plus 33% of the withholding, plus 15 consolations."
??:?? I went back to add this, after I had finished watching. I've never seen a "night watchman" watching a single horse overnight before. "He slept through the night...licked his bucket clean"??? There's usually Track Security prowling the grounds, that's it, and they're not there to watch any one particular horse. I've also never seen a trainer hang around the barn all day, doing nothing, never leaving his horse's side. I don't know what happened to this horse's daddy 2000 miles away, or what Nick Nolte was supposed to do about it back then, but he sure seems intent on not letting it happen a second time.
54:11 Dustin Hoffman is talking to himself. You'll note I haven't mentioned him once in this write-up. As far as that arc goes, you guys are on your own.
also since i know nothing about horseracing about how much did they win in total? i know it said 2.6 and change but then they said something about withholding and kickbacks and consolation etc so just curious what an approx number would be for what they're actually going to walk with.
thanks.
12-16-2011
, 09:47 AM
Quote:
I did it. God help me.
Here's the YTF "commentary track" for Episode One of Luck:
6:15 This is the toughest scene in the show to follow, because of Turo's accent. Escalante gives Leon (bug boy) his instructions, stripping him of his riding crop: "You don't need no stick. I've got to stay here. Jog him around once the wrong way around (the track), loosen him up for his race this afternoon." The kid remarks, "We run big with this horse today." Now Escalante has to make sure the kid understands the instructions he was just given--the last thing we need is some idiot jockey sprinting around the track and wearing out the horse before the race. "What??? Is this morning today? Or this afternoon?" The kid has no idea what the problem is. Puzzled, he asks, "What?"
Escalante is a busy man and has no patience for this kid's nonsense. "Pinhead, is this morning today so far?" When the kid replies in the affirmative (with the brilliant, "I guess sir, yes so."), Escalante repeats the instructions, "Then jog him once the wrong way around, and shut up on what you don't know, before I call Porky Pig on you." The kid takes it, bites his lip, and rides off.
The vet, making conversation, asks, "You met the limo driver yet?" Escalante scoffs, "And buys this horse for $2M? You pro'ly too think they really landed on the moon."
The blues music cranks, and Turo engages in this tough-to-hear exchange with the groom.
ESCALANTE: Yap, yap, yap, esta nino.
GROOM: Senor HablaMucho.
ESCALANTE: (chuckles) HablaMucho, si.
9:00 Nolte remarks to the night watchman, "I was wonderin' if maybe the last quarter (mile) the girl should loosen up, let him stretch the hell out." Then he asks the horse, "Feel like stretchin' out?" Then, as the music indicates something important is about to be said, he instructs the girl, "Maybe you'd let him stretch out a little in the lane." The girl can't hide her excitement. "Great! Cuz he's been pullin' my arms off!" For you horse newbs, this is her way of letting US know that she's been holding the horse back, and letting NOLTE know that this is an incredibly strong horse.
11:15 The Big Horse isn't just farting around any more, he's settling down into a jog. God, this music is kick-ass!
12:17 Marcus is studying his form, we see a brief close-up of his program, opened to the 4th race, a $12.5k claiming race (which would make these some of the cheapest horses on the grounds at a major-league track like Santa Anita, or the classiest horses on the grounds of a ****hole like Suffolk Downs or Mountaineer) 1 Mile on the main track (on the dirt, not the turf course).
He's got a circle around the 2-horse; a ton of notations around the 4-horse, which the program tells us is the 9-to-5 favorite; and a couple of cross-out marks in the blank spaces around the name of the 5-horse, Mon Gateau. The program lists each horse's owner, trainer, jock, morning line odds, and weight to be carried (the fine print at the top of the page, "the conditions", give a two-pound allowance to any horse who hasn't won at this distance since January 24, and one pound for every $1000 the owner knocks off the claiming price, up to two pounds; I'll explain claiming in the following post). Of the eight horses we see listed (the bottom of the page is out of frame), only one is carrying the entire 123 lbs. A couple carry 121, a few carry 119, and two stand out for carrying 113--each of these is a longshot with an apprentice jockey. The 3-horse's jockey has an asterisk next to his name; our 5-horse, Mon Gateau, trained by Turo Escalante, is ridden by Leon Micheaux, who has THREE asterisks next to his name. In army terms, he's not even a Private First Class yet, he's an E-1. You wouldn't think a 6-10 pound difference would matter much to a strong young horse, but in racing, it's a big deal.
14:08 The Big Horse is really starting exert himself now as they begin to turn for home. The rhythm of the hoofbeats has picked up substantially (14 minutes into the first episode, and ship the Sound Editing Emmy--the same sound editing you guys hope they "clean up" before the show runs in earnest???). The rider has her feet up on the dashboard, which means exactly what you think it means: she's dug in, trying to hold this horse back. Another nice touch: you'd have to pause it to see it, but the blanket under the saddle says "WS". Nolte's character is named Walter Smith. The camera angle makes it seem like the horse is coming around the turn so fast, he's fish-tailing like the cars in a Steve McQueen chase scene! I'll bet that little photographic stunt caught the attention of the novice viewer.
14:20 The moment they pass the quarter-pole (which marks a quarter-mile from the finish--it drives me nuts every time Chris Berman calls Week 4 in the NFL "the quarter pole", when there is still THREE-QUARTERS of a season to go!), the girl drops her fanny and crouches as low as she can, loosens the reins, and starts "scrubbing" the horse's neck, urging him to take off. Nick Nolte hits the stopwatch, and the horse literally JUMPS at the chance run as fast as he can. It's what he was BRED to do! His trainer has been bringing him along slowly--not a scam like Escalante pulls later in the episode, this is what a responsible trainer does with a young horse who's not nearly ready to race yet. He's not being whipped or kicked or shouted at, he's not being forced to perform under any duress--all that's happening is he is being given the opportunity to run as fast as he wants in a wide-open space. What more could a strong young horse want? The background is flying by in a blur, every muscle on this running machine is flexing...does tv have a cinematography Emmy?
15:39 "You singled the fourth? I had the fourth a semi-spread." "For a triple-bug apprentice who hasn't won ten races in his life, he's going to single a horse that hasn't run in two years." The quick close-up of the DRF text tells us young Micheaux L has 48 career mounts, 6 wins, 7 places, 3 shows, a win % of .12--not bad for a bug, but not HOF numbers, either. That's an average WEEK for some jocks! The chances to get on the track are few and far between for a bug at a big-league meet.
16:55 When Porky Pig is done chewing out the kid for running his mouth, the kid promptly runs his mouth. He drops his voice to a whisper, and confides that this horse is really fit. The kid just doesn't get it. Beneath the saddle is a red blanket with the initials "TE" on it.
17:15 "Mr Walter, listen, this guy's got nine more gears!", she pants. Riders get in sync with their horses, she knows what she's talking about. She knows that when she asks for it, the horse will be able to give her even more--a LOT more. This horse is a monster.
23:41 First authenticity problem: Kagle holds out a $50 bill for Jerry's picks. Everybody knows horse players think $50 bills are unlucky! (Lest anyone hold Milch in contempt for this oversight: in the script I read, it was $10!)
27:57 Escalante gives his instructions: "Listen to me: you keep'n'm covered up, so he don't go; when you ask o' him, you take'n'm WIDE, so you don't get'm stopped." He later repeats, "He gonna finish for you. Get'm'n WIDE, don't get'm'n STOPPED."
34:04 The kid's trapped on the rail (not bad riding, totally bad luck). When he sees an opening on the rail no wider than the horse's nose, he doesn't hesitate, he LUNGES for it! An incredible move for any jock, let alone a bug. This only makes Escalante's chilly reception in the Winners Circle even funnier.
39:45 Nolte mentions to the horse that he might be ready to race in a few weeks.
43:30 "What's her name?" "Tattered Flag." This is called "foreshadowing". Milch may as well have called her, "Purina Dog Chow", cuz that's what she'll be by the end of the week.
43:50 My favorite sound editing yet: as the starting gate moves into position, we hear chains dragging, a tractor puttering, and those gates creaking and slamming, each and every one of them. In this shot, the SOUND is setting the scene even better than the PICTURE is!
44:01 For the first time, we hear the voice of track announcer Trevor Denman in the background as the horses go into the gate. I'm hoping we hear a lot of Trevor over the course of this series. He's the best ever at what he does. He was featured prominently in Richard Dreyfuss' horse race comedy "Let It Ride", a film that I highly recommend (shocker!). Hey, it's funny. Ask anybody.
47:28 The kid is making his move, Gary Stevens urges from the stands, "The outside's the upside, bug!", the music is building to a crescendo...and I can't make my palms stop sweating, because I know those sound editors are standing by with a stalk of celery to make the sickest sound effect in all of sports.
47:33 SNAP! The crowd gasps. Even Gary Stevens has to turn and look away.
48:43 The boys win. The rising music obscures one of my favorite lines: we hear Lonnie shout "Champion of the World! Heavyweight Champ!", but it's tough to hear my favorite part: "Everyone kiss...my...ass!"
49:00 They may have cut out Kagle offering a 33% kickback of the IRS withholding, but they didn't cut it out of Marcus' summary: "$2.68 million and some, plus 33% of the withholding, plus 15 consolations."
??:?? I went back to add this, after I had finished watching. I've never seen a "night watchman" watching a single horse overnight before. "He slept through the night...licked his bucket clean"??? There's usually Track Security prowling the grounds, that's it, and they're not there to watch any one particular horse. I've also never seen a trainer hang around the barn all day, doing nothing, never leaving his horse's side. I don't know what happened to this horse's daddy 2000 miles away, or what Nick Nolte was supposed to do about it back then, but he sure seems intent on not letting it happen a second time.
54:11 Dustin Hoffman is talking to himself. You'll note I haven't mentioned him once in this write-up. As far as that arc goes, you guys are on your own.
Here's the YTF "commentary track" for Episode One of Luck:
6:15 This is the toughest scene in the show to follow, because of Turo's accent. Escalante gives Leon (bug boy) his instructions, stripping him of his riding crop: "You don't need no stick. I've got to stay here. Jog him around once the wrong way around (the track), loosen him up for his race this afternoon." The kid remarks, "We run big with this horse today." Now Escalante has to make sure the kid understands the instructions he was just given--the last thing we need is some idiot jockey sprinting around the track and wearing out the horse before the race. "What??? Is this morning today? Or this afternoon?" The kid has no idea what the problem is. Puzzled, he asks, "What?"
Escalante is a busy man and has no patience for this kid's nonsense. "Pinhead, is this morning today so far?" When the kid replies in the affirmative (with the brilliant, "I guess sir, yes so."), Escalante repeats the instructions, "Then jog him once the wrong way around, and shut up on what you don't know, before I call Porky Pig on you." The kid takes it, bites his lip, and rides off.
The vet, making conversation, asks, "You met the limo driver yet?" Escalante scoffs, "And buys this horse for $2M? You pro'ly too think they really landed on the moon."
The blues music cranks, and Turo engages in this tough-to-hear exchange with the groom.
ESCALANTE: Yap, yap, yap, esta nino.
GROOM: Senor HablaMucho.
ESCALANTE: (chuckles) HablaMucho, si.
9:00 Nolte remarks to the night watchman, "I was wonderin' if maybe the last quarter (mile) the girl should loosen up, let him stretch the hell out." Then he asks the horse, "Feel like stretchin' out?" Then, as the music indicates something important is about to be said, he instructs the girl, "Maybe you'd let him stretch out a little in the lane." The girl can't hide her excitement. "Great! Cuz he's been pullin' my arms off!" For you horse newbs, this is her way of letting US know that she's been holding the horse back, and letting NOLTE know that this is an incredibly strong horse.
11:15 The Big Horse isn't just farting around any more, he's settling down into a jog. God, this music is kick-ass!
12:17 Marcus is studying his form, we see a brief close-up of his program, opened to the 4th race, a $12.5k claiming race (which would make these some of the cheapest horses on the grounds at a major-league track like Santa Anita, or the classiest horses on the grounds of a ****hole like Suffolk Downs or Mountaineer) 1 Mile on the main track (on the dirt, not the turf course).
He's got a circle around the 2-horse; a ton of notations around the 4-horse, which the program tells us is the 9-to-5 favorite; and a couple of cross-out marks in the blank spaces around the name of the 5-horse, Mon Gateau. The program lists each horse's owner, trainer, jock, morning line odds, and weight to be carried (the fine print at the top of the page, "the conditions", give a two-pound allowance to any horse who hasn't won at this distance since January 24, and one pound for every $1000 the owner knocks off the claiming price, up to two pounds; I'll explain claiming in the following post). Of the eight horses we see listed (the bottom of the page is out of frame), only one is carrying the entire 123 lbs. A couple carry 121, a few carry 119, and two stand out for carrying 113--each of these is a longshot with an apprentice jockey. The 3-horse's jockey has an asterisk next to his name; our 5-horse, Mon Gateau, trained by Turo Escalante, is ridden by Leon Micheaux, who has THREE asterisks next to his name. In army terms, he's not even a Private First Class yet, he's an E-1. You wouldn't think a 6-10 pound difference would matter much to a strong young horse, but in racing, it's a big deal.
14:08 The Big Horse is really starting exert himself now as they begin to turn for home. The rhythm of the hoofbeats has picked up substantially (14 minutes into the first episode, and ship the Sound Editing Emmy--the same sound editing you guys hope they "clean up" before the show runs in earnest???). The rider has her feet up on the dashboard, which means exactly what you think it means: she's dug in, trying to hold this horse back. Another nice touch: you'd have to pause it to see it, but the blanket under the saddle says "WS". Nolte's character is named Walter Smith. The camera angle makes it seem like the horse is coming around the turn so fast, he's fish-tailing like the cars in a Steve McQueen chase scene! I'll bet that little photographic stunt caught the attention of the novice viewer.
14:20 The moment they pass the quarter-pole (which marks a quarter-mile from the finish--it drives me nuts every time Chris Berman calls Week 4 in the NFL "the quarter pole", when there is still THREE-QUARTERS of a season to go!), the girl drops her fanny and crouches as low as she can, loosens the reins, and starts "scrubbing" the horse's neck, urging him to take off. Nick Nolte hits the stopwatch, and the horse literally JUMPS at the chance run as fast as he can. It's what he was BRED to do! His trainer has been bringing him along slowly--not a scam like Escalante pulls later in the episode, this is what a responsible trainer does with a young horse who's not nearly ready to race yet. He's not being whipped or kicked or shouted at, he's not being forced to perform under any duress--all that's happening is he is being given the opportunity to run as fast as he wants in a wide-open space. What more could a strong young horse want? The background is flying by in a blur, every muscle on this running machine is flexing...does tv have a cinematography Emmy?
15:39 "You singled the fourth? I had the fourth a semi-spread." "For a triple-bug apprentice who hasn't won ten races in his life, he's going to single a horse that hasn't run in two years." The quick close-up of the DRF text tells us young Micheaux L has 48 career mounts, 6 wins, 7 places, 3 shows, a win % of .12--not bad for a bug, but not HOF numbers, either. That's an average WEEK for some jocks! The chances to get on the track are few and far between for a bug at a big-league meet.
16:55 When Porky Pig is done chewing out the kid for running his mouth, the kid promptly runs his mouth. He drops his voice to a whisper, and confides that this horse is really fit. The kid just doesn't get it. Beneath the saddle is a red blanket with the initials "TE" on it.
17:15 "Mr Walter, listen, this guy's got nine more gears!", she pants. Riders get in sync with their horses, she knows what she's talking about. She knows that when she asks for it, the horse will be able to give her even more--a LOT more. This horse is a monster.
23:41 First authenticity problem: Kagle holds out a $50 bill for Jerry's picks. Everybody knows horse players think $50 bills are unlucky! (Lest anyone hold Milch in contempt for this oversight: in the script I read, it was $10!)
27:57 Escalante gives his instructions: "Listen to me: you keep'n'm covered up, so he don't go; when you ask o' him, you take'n'm WIDE, so you don't get'm stopped." He later repeats, "He gonna finish for you. Get'm'n WIDE, don't get'm'n STOPPED."
34:04 The kid's trapped on the rail (not bad riding, totally bad luck). When he sees an opening on the rail no wider than the horse's nose, he doesn't hesitate, he LUNGES for it! An incredible move for any jock, let alone a bug. This only makes Escalante's chilly reception in the Winners Circle even funnier.
39:45 Nolte mentions to the horse that he might be ready to race in a few weeks.
43:30 "What's her name?" "Tattered Flag." This is called "foreshadowing". Milch may as well have called her, "Purina Dog Chow", cuz that's what she'll be by the end of the week.
43:50 My favorite sound editing yet: as the starting gate moves into position, we hear chains dragging, a tractor puttering, and those gates creaking and slamming, each and every one of them. In this shot, the SOUND is setting the scene even better than the PICTURE is!
44:01 For the first time, we hear the voice of track announcer Trevor Denman in the background as the horses go into the gate. I'm hoping we hear a lot of Trevor over the course of this series. He's the best ever at what he does. He was featured prominently in Richard Dreyfuss' horse race comedy "Let It Ride", a film that I highly recommend (shocker!). Hey, it's funny. Ask anybody.
47:28 The kid is making his move, Gary Stevens urges from the stands, "The outside's the upside, bug!", the music is building to a crescendo...and I can't make my palms stop sweating, because I know those sound editors are standing by with a stalk of celery to make the sickest sound effect in all of sports.
47:33 SNAP! The crowd gasps. Even Gary Stevens has to turn and look away.
48:43 The boys win. The rising music obscures one of my favorite lines: we hear Lonnie shout "Champion of the World! Heavyweight Champ!", but it's tough to hear my favorite part: "Everyone kiss...my...ass!"
49:00 They may have cut out Kagle offering a 33% kickback of the IRS withholding, but they didn't cut it out of Marcus' summary: "$2.68 million and some, plus 33% of the withholding, plus 15 consolations."
??:?? I went back to add this, after I had finished watching. I've never seen a "night watchman" watching a single horse overnight before. "He slept through the night...licked his bucket clean"??? There's usually Track Security prowling the grounds, that's it, and they're not there to watch any one particular horse. I've also never seen a trainer hang around the barn all day, doing nothing, never leaving his horse's side. I don't know what happened to this horse's daddy 2000 miles away, or what Nick Nolte was supposed to do about it back then, but he sure seems intent on not letting it happen a second time.
54:11 Dustin Hoffman is talking to himself. You'll note I haven't mentioned him once in this write-up. As far as that arc goes, you guys are on your own.
12-16-2011
, 12:50 PM
12-16-2011
, 12:51 PM
12-16-2011
, 01:19 PM
12-16-2011
, 07:48 PM
12-16-2011
, 08:57 PM
Gotta give Milch some license on that one. No one would believe these guys could raise that much, but they still had to have enough combinations working to make the win believable to the audience.
12-17-2011
, 05:15 AM
12-17-2011
, 10:59 AM
Fair enough. I always support spreading the GOATness that is Secretariat. Anybody that hasn't heard that name before, do yourself a favor and get on youtube. Most amazing horse ever.
