Category: TV

House of Cards (season 4)

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, government, TVLeave a comment

The fourth season has received generally positive reviews from critics.

On Metacritic, the season has a score of 76 out of 100 based on 17 reviews.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a score of 89 out of 100, with an average rating of 8.1/10 based on 27 reviews. The site’s critical consensus reads, “House of Cards retains its binge-worthiness by ratcheting up the drama, and deepening Robin Wright’s role even further.”

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It’s must watch TV. Addressing the issues of the day, especially the Donald Drumpf phenomenon. Evil in power.

That said, the plot line is pretty stupid. I’m surprised those writers cannot do better with the talent they’ve got.

It was great to see Robin Wright have a bigger role, but that’s about the only improvement this season.

Doug Stamper is good. Still.

Joel Kinnaman as Will Conway, Republican Governor of New York and Nominee for President of the United States running against Frank was a good choice.

But House of Cards could be much better.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

True Detective (season 2)

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

… With a principal cast of Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Reilly, and Vince Vaughn, the season comprises eight episodes and concluded its initial airing on August 9, 2015.

The season’s story takes place in California and follows the interweaving stories of officers from three cooperating police departments …

On paper, with that cast, this series must have looked fantastic.
Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 65%, based on 72 reviews …

Hank Stuever of The Washington Post gave it a generally positive review, praising the performances, and wrote, “There is something still lugubrious and overwrought about True Detective, but there’s also a mesmerizing style to it — it’s imperfect, but well made.”[ …

Many who loved season 1 were critical of season 2. Too dark. Too confusing. A “self-serious mess“.

It tried too hard to be edgy, cool.

It needed some humour. Even one good character.

Still, I recommend True Detective (season 2). And look forward to season 3.

The Man in the High Castle

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, TVLeave a comment

I watched season 1. The premise of the story is interesting. The technology in 1962 fascinating.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Not sure I’ll continue to season 2, however.

The Man in the High Castle is an American dystopian alternative history television series produced by Amazon Studios …

The series is loosely based on the 1962 novel of the same name by American science fiction author Philip K. Dick. …

The story is an alternative history of the world in which the Axis powers won World War II. The United States has been partitioned into three parts: The Japanese puppet state of the Pacific States of America, a Nazi puppet state that comprises the eastern half of the former United States; and a neutral zone that acts as a buffer between the two areas, called the Rocky Mountain States. …

A second season of ten episodes has been announced for a 2016 release.

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Schitt$ Creek

On By Rick McIn humour, TVLeave a comment

Warren recommends this comedy.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Schitt’s Creek (advertised as Schitt$ Creek) is a Canadian television sitcom that premiered on CBC Television on January 13, 2015. …

The series stars Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as Johnny and Moira Rose, a wealthy couple who are forced, after losing all their money, to rebuild their lives in their only remaining asset: the small town of Schitt’s Creek, which they once purchased as a joke, where they are living with their two adult children in two adjacent rooms of a rundown motel. …

watching Mr. Robot

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, government, internet, TVLeave a comment

Quite good. So far. I like the dysfunctional lead character. And the Tech perspective.

Mr. Robot is an American drama–thriller television series …

It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker who suffers from social anxiety disorder and clinical depression. Alderson is recruited by an insurrectionary anarchist known as “Mr. Robot”, played by Christian Slater, to join a group of hacktivists. …

Mr. Robot has received widespread acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 96% with an average score of 8 out of 10 based on 55 reviews. It set a record on Rotten Tomatoes as the only show to earn perfect episode scores for an entire season since the site began tracking television episodes. …

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Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Narcos season 1

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, government, TVLeave a comment

Narcos season 1 … comprising 10 episodes, originally aired on August 28, 2015, as a Netflix exclusive. Set and filmed in Colombia, season 1 tells the true story of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine, while also focusing on Escobar’s interactions with drug lords, DEA agents, and various opposition entities. …

… season 2 will air in 2016. …

I recommend the series. It’s violent. But astonishingly entertaining. What a story!

… the life of Pablo Escobar from the late 1970s, when he first began manufacturing cocaine, to July 1992, when he escaped La Catedral prison. …

Wagner Moura as Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellín Cartel … is believable. He’s from Brazil and I’m told his Spanish is not so believable.

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Pedro Pascal as Javier Peña – a DEA agent – is very good.

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Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Perry Mason – Raymond Burr

On By Rick McIn movies, TVLeave a comment

I’ve watched some of the excellent old Perry Mason shows over the holidays. My Dad is a fan.

Click PLAY or watch a retrospective on YouTube.

Raymond William Stacey Burr (May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993) was a Canadian-American actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. …

… His portrayal of the suspected murderer in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller, Rear Window (1954), is regarded as his best-known film role.

He won two Emmy Awards, in 1959 and 1961, for the role of Perry Mason, which he played for nine seasons between 1957 and 1966. …

Turns out Raymond Burr was Gay. I’d never heard. And my Gaydar has always been terrible.

Homeland season 5

On By Rick McIn government, Islam, TVLeave a comment

… premiered on October 4, 2015, and concluded on December 20, 2015 …

Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, an ex-CIA intelligence officer with bipolar disorder, now working for a philanthropic foundation in Berlin. …

The season includes several real world subjects in its storylines; including ISIS, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad, the Charlie Hebdo shooting,Edward Snowden and European migrant crisis. …

I admired seeing an American TV show move to Europe. It’s must watch, no matter how much Carrie irritates you. No other current television series offers as important commentary on the state of the world.

That said, Mike Sissons – who lived many years in Arab countries – tells me it’s controversial with Muslims. Too many stereotype characters. Mike’s not actually watched the show himself.

My feeling is that the show is quite balanced. It shows the stupidity of U.S. foreign policy.  There are no good guys in this show.

Click PLAY or watch a season 5 preview on YouTube.

related – “Homeland” season 6 premiere date is speculated to be October 2, 2016.

 

Sherlock – The Abominable Bride

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

“The Abominable Bride” is a special episode of the British television programme Sherlock.

The episode was broadcast on BBC One and BBC One HD on 1 January 2016. It shows the characters in Victorian London for the first time …

Emelia Ricoletti, a consumptive bride gone mad, had fired on by-passers in the street from a balcony, before fatally shooting herself in the head through her mouth.

Later that evening, while exiting an opium den, Mr Ricoletti was confronted by Emelia, still dressed as a bride, who shot him before disappearing into the fog. Intrigued by Emelia’s apparent survival, Holmes takes the case. …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

I love Cumberbatch as Holmes. But this particular episode didn’t work for me. 😦