Tag archives for TV
Game of Thrones revisited [Review – NO SPOILERS]
Cover of Game of Thrones Season 1 DVD (Photo: HBO) Long term readers might remember that Game of Thrones is one of only two one star reviews that I've posted. Generally I avoid negative reviews because I don't think they help much, especially when all I've got to say is that it wasn't really my sort of thing. Game of Thrones in video As I said in my original review of A Song of Ice and Fire, there's a lot to like in the story, but there's also a deplorable level of unnecessary misogyny. This didn't sit right for me as when you base a fantasy world on history you can change it. What made me give Game of Thrones another chance was two fold. First there was a chance that the translation from book to screen had changed it…
The Handmaid’s Tale & Failure Modes of Democracy
I've finally caught up with The Handmaid's Tale that Channel Four recently showed. I haven't read the book by Margaret Atwood but I have read some of her interviews about it. I've added the book to my wish list. The Handmaid's Tale The Handmaid's Tale is essentially a piece of speculative fiction about the failure of Democracy in the US. It's scarily plausible, which is sort of the definition of speculative fiction. Elisabeth Moss as Offred in The Handmaid's Tale (photo: Hulu) In the TV series of The Handmaid's Tale we follow Offred (formerly known as June) as she survives in the post-coup Republic of Gilead. That being the survivors of the former US. Elisabeth Moss does a great job playing the main character through both the flashbacks that explain how she got there and the 'present day' parts of…
SS-GB [review] BBC Adaptation of Len Deighton’s SS-GB
I watched the BBC Adaptation of Len Deighton's SS-GB last night. I read the book a long time ago, it was probably one of the first alternative histories that I ever read. I've also enjoyed Young Lions by Andrew Mackay which is also set post-German Invasion of Britain. SS-GB Review The bombed-out ruins of Buckingham Palace as depicted in SS-GB. Image © Sid Gentle Films Ltd. SS-GB has a lot of elements that I enjoy. It's an alternative history, it's a police procedural, it has espionage/intelligence aspects and it's set during WW2. It also has another element that fascinates me. When do you remain loyal and when should you change sides? I was always going to watch this programme. The story is set in 1941, fourteen months after a successful German Invasion of Britain. In the opening shots we are…
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Doctor Who Trailer – Sept 19th!
Watch the Doctor Who trailer for the new series starting on 10 Sept 2015. This Doctor Who trailer is the first teaser for the new series. Awesome stuff, lots of interesting things in there, including a Dalek, Missy, zombies coming out of the ground and loads of other stuff. Roll on September! I cannot wait for this to start on 19th September. The only thing that could make this better would be the news that there is a crossover with the Sherlock team. Peter Capaldi and Benedict Cumberbatch written by Stephen Moffat would be awesome cubed! Related articles BBC teases new 'Sherlock' image, but all fans can see is hair A New Image Of The Next "Sherlock" Episode Has Been Released And It Looks Very Victorian Direct from The Beeb Throwback Photo from SHERLOCK Christmas Special The 'Doctor Who' and…
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Reaction
Breaking Bad (season 1) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) How un-American is Breaking Bad, yo! Sorry, couldn't resist it. If you haven't seen it yet then you need to go watch it. I'm catching up on it via Netflix and so far I've made it through series 2. Unlike most US TV shows it has short series (five series muster 67 episodes in total). There are a number of other ways, all of them good, that make it stand out: * the protagonist is bad; * it is the dark underbelly; * it shows US society as fundamentally broken; * viewers need intelligence to get it; * you need to actively watch it; * loads of geek humour & science. A Good Man Gone Bad Dr Walter White is a way overqualified chemistry teacher in an Albuquerque High School. In the opening…