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And Then There is the Small Screen …

So yeah, I love cinema. But I also love me some television too!

From time to time, I have tagged in this space couple of my posts as their content is targeted for the small screen. But like I have done in the past, I thought I would share with you some of the programming I am currently watching on television.

I really feel like scripted drama has for a number of years produced programming that rivals what is on offer at the local cinema, having the added benefit of time and space to allow a story  and characters to breathe and become fully formed.

 

Borgen

This Danish political drama accomplishes what few of our favorites at home are able to achieve – show the complex inner workings and machinations of governing and the impact and cost this quest for power has on the personal lives of its players. I am still getting through all the episodes, but shout out to Todd Mason for being one of a few to bring this series to my attention.

borgen-season-one-banner

 

Penny Dreadful (SHO)

Victorian Gothic horror at its finest. It’s a marvel – beautifully photographed and wonderfully played– this series takes many of the classic ‘monsters’ from literature, mixes them with some newly imagined folks and produces some must see television. It is a world of less than savory characters that we have just been introduced to. With a limited first series of just eight episodes, the stage is well set. And have no fear – you will have plenty of time to play catch up with it in time for the new season, coming sometime in 2015 (Season One is available Oct 7th on the following platforms: iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Vudu, Target Ticket, Sony Ent Network & VerizonFios).

Penny Dreadful

 

Game of Thrones (HBO)

Well, just because it is the land of swords and castles and Kit Harington’s flowing locks blowing in the wind. This last season ended on such an epic note for me I cannot even begin to describe. And no, I have not read the source material and have no intentions of doing so (decided a while ago); I am just going to go along for the ride, courtesy of HBO.

Game of Thrones, Iron Throne

 

Outlander (STARZ)

The show has not even aired officially (starts this Saturday at 9:00PM), but the premiere episode (now available online and On Demand) has me hooked! So much so, I have already started to read ahead with the novels to find out what happens next.

Outlander

 

Orphan Black (BBC America)

If truth be told this past season had a whole LOT going on (sometimes too much); season one ROCKED. And um … Tatiana Maslany.

Orphan Black, Tatiana Malsany

 

The Great British Bakeoff (BBC One)

This is an import so I really do not get to see it in real time (first caught on a trip abroad) but I love cake and this is like the most exciting, tension-packed thing you will probably ever see in a cookery show. SERIOUSLY – you guys are going to have to believe me.

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Image Credit: BBC One

 

And coming this fall (next month to be exact) …

SOA-POSTER

The final season of Sons of Anarchy (FX). Sure I was a bit late to this party, but I am glad to have joined. Its departure will be sad, but I am confident it will be a satisfying end (notice I did not say “happy”). And the above poster does not hold out too much promise (save Hunnam’s face).

 

Also in my wheelhouse: American Horror Story: Freakshow; Devious Maids (it knows what it is and I LOVE that about the show); whatever Masterpiece has on offer (The latest? Endeavor); House of Cards; Doctor Who (as of this month, starring Peter Capaldi).

Doctor Who Capaldi

 

I know I am missing some stuff. I really watch too much television. But what about you? Any recommendations to fill my DVR queue? What are you all watching? Hit the comments section below.

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What I Have Been Watching …

A few weeks ago I mentioned one of my latest television obsessions and tied it into the world of cinema. This week I will not even attempt a tie-in; instead I will just wax poetic about a program I am a couple of episodes in, The Shadow Line, which originally aired on BBC Two (BTW thanks for the recommendation, Scott – he of Front Room Cinema).

This one-off, seven part series stars a personal favorite of mine, Chiwetel Ejiofor as a cop investigating a murder of an underworld boss. But rest assured, it is not that straightforward. See, he is just back on duty after recovering from a gunshot wound to the head – and the bullet is still lodged there. As a result of the shooting, he has amnesia from the event, which also saw his partner die. This is al established the end of the of the first episode, which had a perplexing and intriguing final act that left one wondering, “Just WHAT is going on?”

And now that I have just finished episode two which heralded the introduction of Stephen Rae’s shadowy figure, I cannot wait for episodes 3 and beyond.

Although made for television, this series has a very cinematic look and feel to it. The writing is clever and well-placed in the hands of a superb cast of actors including Stephen Rae, Christopher Eccleston, Kierston Wareing and a very, very frightening Rafe Spall as the nephew of the murdered crime boss who has more than a screw loose.

Check out the trailer:

For us here in the States, getting our hands on this series has been a hard task to say the very least; this past February, DirectTV aired the program on its Audience Network. But it now appears to be available on Blu-ray via Amazon.com. My only warning: the video description states that this is an All-Region disk, so I can assume that it will play on a North American video disk player, but one cannot be too sure.

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Coming to a (TV) Screen Near You (Whitechapel)

For the record, I am an unabashed ‘fan’ of the mystery surrounding the Whitechapel Murders involving the infamous, still unidentified “Jack The Ripper.” Well saying ‘fan’ may be a bit of a stretch. I have read several novels and short stories (including the fantastic Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper, written by Robert Bloch in 1943). In fact, a seminal childhood memories is of my grammar school friend reading this story to me over the phone one Friday afternoon. This was probably the moment which sparked my “Jack the Ripper” interest.

More recently on a trip to London, me and my friends stopped by the Sherlock Holmes Museum and among other forms of kitsch and paraphernalia, there was a sweet collection of bits related to the crimes committed in 1888.

This fascination goes beyond the printed page and jumps on to the silver screen. Among my favorite ‘Ripper-themed’ films are:

  • The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1923) dir by Hitchcock
  • The Lodger (1944) starring George Sanders and Merle Oberon
  • Man in the Attic (1953) starring Jack Palance
  • Time After Time (1979) starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen
  • From Hell (2001) based on the Alan Moore graphic novel and directed by the Hughes Brothers. Starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham and Ian Holm

So you are probably wondering where this all leading. While watching Law and Order: UK  as I do on Wednesday evenings, there was a preview for a ‘new’ series coming to BBC America. It is called Whitechapel  and it is premiering here in the States on October 26th.

The plot is pretty basic – in modern day London, there is a killer on the loose whose M.O. mirrors that of the Victorian-era serial murderer. Here are the opening credits.

So what do you think? Is this something that you are interesting in watching this?

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