TRUE DETECTIVE
SEASON ONE
With an incontestably sparkling
record for producing engaging
drama, HBO has been making
waves in the television market
for the last ten years, going so
far as to pull our attention from
Hollywood with its on the nose,
award-winning writing.
The latest crime drama to
make waves is True Detective,
a cop-show with an existential
twist - think less coffee and donuts
and more philosophical speeches,
cans of Lone Star and awkward
silences. Most notable is, perhaps,
the show’s elite cast, featuring
Matthew McConaughey, fresh
from his Oscar win, and prolific
character actor, Woody Harrel-
HOUSE OF CARDS
SEASON ONE
House of Cards has rapidly become
one of the most popular new
shows since its debut on Netflix
in 2013. Originally set in Britain
in the nineties, Netflix’s political
whirlwind drama takes place in
present-day Washington, D.C.
House of Cards is the story
of Frank Underwood (played by
Kevin Spacey), a Democrat from
South Carolina’s 5th Congressional
District and House Majority Whip
who, after being passed over for
appointment as Secretary of State,
decides to exact his revenge on
those who betrayed him with the
help of his equally cunning wife
(played by Robin Wright).
The show received nine of
VIKINGS
SEASON ONE
History buffs, action lovers and
Game of Thrones and Rome
fans will appreciate this historical
drama, which drops the viewer
into the sweaty, violent and
gruesome world of Viking Ragnar
Lothbrok, one of the best-known
mythological Norse heroes
and notorious as the infamous
enemy of England and France.
Ragnar, played by Travis Fimmel,
pioneers the first daring raids
into England with the support of
fellow warriors. His brother Rollo
(Clive Standen), and his wife, the
shieldmaiden Lagertha (Katheryn
Winnick) star as the show’s
protagonists.
The series beautifully outlines
son. The pair play an odd-couple
of police detectives investigating the seventeen year murder
spree of a Louisiana serial killer.
Marty, played by Harrelson, is the
straight man to McConaughey’s
idiosyncratic ‘Rust’ Cohle; a man
just as likely to spew a nihilistic
soliloquy as drunkenly incite a
bar brawl. As the show slowly
progresses, using a multi-timeline narrative, the mystery of the
serial killer, as well as the series
of events that has left these two
middle aged homicide detectives
the broken men they are today,
are revealed.
In its short run, True Detective
has already achieved an obsessive, cult-following and worldwide acclaim amongst the critics.
Not bad for only eight episodes.
“Most notable is, perhaps,
the show’s elite cast,
featuring Matthew
McConaughey, fresh from
his Oscar win, and prolific
character actor, Woody
Harrelson.”
Netflix’s fourteen total nominations for the Primetime Emmy
Awards. Among its nine nominations were Outstanding Drama
Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in
a Drama Series for Kevin Spacey,
Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Drama Series for Robin Wright,
and Outstanding Directing for a
Drama Series for David Fincher.
The show delves into the dark
underworld of politics and peels
away the layers of what is often
brushed under the rug by the
mainstream media. This is Kevin
Spacey at his finest and one of his
most dynamic roles yet. You will
be hooked after the first episode.
“The show delves into
the dark underworld of
politics and peels away
the layers of what is
often brushed under the
rug.”
the trials and tribulations of Ragnar’s
band of Viking brothers and his
family as he rises to become King
of the Viking tribes. His quest is
not without conflict. We see his
character develop as he strives to
live up to his destiny - as well as
being a fearless warrior. Ragnar
embodies the Norse traditions of
devotion to the gods.
Nancy DeWolf Smith of The
Wall Street Journal noted the
“natural and authentic” setting
and costumes, and appreciated
that Vikings was not a celebration of sex and violence, but
“a study of character”. Vikings
appeals on another level - highlighting the inner struggle of a
man destined for greatness and
the effects of his legacy on those
around him.
“The inner struggle of
a man destined for greatness and the effects of his
legacy on those around
him.”
JULY 2014
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