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DVD Review: Missing ‘House Of Cards’? Excellent ‘Borgen’ Season 1 Will Keep You Satisfied

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 12, 2013 9:58 AM
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  • 2 Comments
Reviews
If it isn’t already happening, Danish television is about to have a moment. AMC’s remake of the “The Killing” was canceled, swiftly brought back, and is now shooting its third season. HBO is in the midst of remaking the popular series “The Bridge” and NBC already snagged the rights to the political drama “Borgen.” It’s arguably the hottest of the three shows at the moment -- Stephen King named it as the best television he watched 2012 (the aforementioned Danish shows above made the top ten as well) -- and coming in the wake of Netflix’s tremendously well received “House Of Cards,” those looking to slake their thirst on political drama would be highly recommended to track down “Borgen,” which is arguably even more dense and layered than David Fincher and Kevin Spacey’s program.
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More: Review, DVD and VOD, Borgen, House Of Cards, Television, TV Reviews

Recap: Charlie & Marnie Spin Their Wheels As The Jim & Pam Of 'Girls' In Subpar Outing

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 11, 2013 10:02 AM
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  • 3 Comments
Television
How do you solve a problem like Marnie? If you're a writer for "Girls," it's currently a difficult one to puzzle out. The idea of having her and Hannah switch roles, with Marnie's life falling apart while her (former) best friend begins to have a taste of success, is a great one. And bringing to light some of the unsavory and unlikeable aspects of her personality to add a little of grime to the pretty face and fabulous dresses, is a nice touch too. But outside of that, Lena Dunham and co. haven't really figured out what to do with Marnie this season. Allison Williams has been more than game to follow her character on a downward spiral, from her brief drunken sexual encounter with Elijah to her misguided relationship with Booth. But at some point, this on again/off again thing with ex-boyfriend Charlie (Christopher Abbott) has got to end.
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More: Television, TV Reviews, Girls

Mitch Hurwitz Says 'Arrested Development' Has No Movie Deal Yet & Will Arnett Says Enjoy What's Coming For Now

  • By Charlie Schmidlin
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  • March 11, 2013 9:24 AM
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  • 1 Comment
Television
Before news of a fourth season of “Arrested Development” came out, there was the fervent anticipation of an ensemble film. Now that the new season is almost upon us, the film still remains the more talked-about prize. Creator Mitch Hurwitz, Jeffrey Tambor and Will Arnett came to SXSW over the weekend to discuss the film and, most importantly, to explain the circumstances surrounding the future of the show.
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More: Television, TV Reviews, Arrested Development, Mitch Hurwitz, Will Arnett

Recap: The Gang Returns In 'Girls' As Dreams & Disorder Take Center Stage

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 4, 2013 10:02 AM
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  • 1 Comment
Television
After three episodes of detours, following the travails of Hannah (Lena Dunham), Ray (Alex Karpovsky) and Adam (Adam Driver), and the for-the-moment departed Jessa (Jemima Kirke), "Girls" gets the gang back together for yet another strong episode in which some of our favorite supporting players get to shine. For those feeling a bit let down by the recent experimental plays on form from Dunham, last night's episode returns to season one familiarity, with results just as winning as anything the show has done.
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More: Television, TV Reviews, Girls

Recap: 'Parade's End' Brings Dense Miniseries To A Quiet Close In Finale

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 1, 2013 10:00 AM
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  • 4 Comments
Reviews
As my colleagues have written in their recaps of the first four episodes of "Parade's End," there is much to admire in the five-part miniseries. From the dense, multi-threaded and layered script from Tom Stoppard, to the sumptuous direction from Susanna White and a cluster of great performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Adelaide Clemens, Stephen Graham and Rupert Everett. And at the middle of it all, perhaps one of the most buttoned up leading men we've seen in quite some time on the small screen, Christopher Tietjens. It would almost be laughable at how much his life has taken a downward turn since we met him at the start of the first episode, if it weren't so tragic. As an era fades, so too does a particular way of English, gentlemanly life, and Tietjens will hold on to it until it nearly destroys him. But after seeing nearly every facet of his life crumble and corrupted, you yearn for Christopher -- as his wife Sylvia long has -- to finally submit to some kind of emotion. To break free and reclaim his life. And while he doesn't quite do that in the finale, his victory such as it is, is satisfying in the way the character deserves.
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More: Parade's End, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Adelaide Clemens, Television, TV Reviews

Recap: 'Parade's End' Goes To War With One Outstanding Episode, And One Middling One

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • February 28, 2013 9:58 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Television
When we left off with part two of "Parade's End," war had arrived, with Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the trenches, and his wife Sylvia (Rebecca Hall) seemingly finding religion. Part three of the show stayed mostly away from the front, picking up with Christopher waking in a military hospital, concussed by a shell, and seemingly unable to remember even his name.
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More: Parade's End, Television, TV Reviews, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall

Recap: Benedict Cumberbatch & Rebecca Hall Shine In First 2 Parts Of Period Miniseries 'Parade's End'

  • By The Playlist Staff
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  • February 27, 2013 10:00 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Reviews
The specter of "Downton Abbey" has been present in the run up to the broadcast of BBC and HBO's new period drama "Parade's End." Both are lavish period tales set before, during and after World War I. But in fact, the comparisons are a little overblown. 'Downton' and "Parade's End" (an adaptation of Ford Madox Ford's cycle of novels, often labelled as among the finest literary achievements of the 20th century, written for the screen by the great Sir Tom Stoppard, and directed by Susanna White, who was also behind "Bleak House" and "Generation Kill") might share a loose genre, but on the strength of the first episode, they couldn't be more different. 'Downton' is a soap, for better or worse, while "Parade's End" is a fearsomely intelligent, deceptively funny epic that, if it can keep up this level of quality, will likely be one of the best things on television all year.
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More: Television, TV Reviews, Parade's End, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adelaide Clemens, Rebecca Hall, Stephen Graham

Recap: 'Girls' Goes To The Country With Jessa & Hannah

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • February 25, 2013 10:02 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Television
After the solo Hannah episode two weeks back and last Sunday's focus on Ray and Adam, once again "Girls" is allowing its focus to flesh out a particular character, with Jessa (Jemima Kirke) getting the spotlight. The episode kicks off with her and Hannah (Lena Dunham) at the Manitou train station, about an hour outside of New York City, where they're awaiting Jessa's father and a weekend out in the country, in an episode that seems to ultimately serve as a goodbye to the character for a while.
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More: Television, TV Reviews, Girls, Lena Dunham, Rosanna Arquette, Ben Mendelsohn, Jemima Kirke

Recap: Staten Island Is Really Getting Ray & Adam Down In 'Girls'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • February 17, 2013 9:30 PM
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  • 2 Comments
Television
If last week's episode of "Girls" is still being talked about as an outstanding outlier in the series thus far, an almost self-contained, Euro-flavored short film, this week the show returns to more familiar territor but still retains a melancholic air. Once again pitching focus, as the title suggests, we spend much more time with the guys as Adam (Adam Driver) and Ray (Alex Karpovsky) take center stage, while we also visit Marnie (Allison Williams), who continues her relationship with Booth Jonathan (Jorma Taccone). But before we get there, we kick things off with Hannah (Lena Dunham).
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More: Television, TV Reviews, Girls

Berlin Review: Jane Campion's 'Top Of The Lake' A Satisfying & Cinematic Crime "Novel" In The Shape Of A TV Show

  • By Jessica Kiang
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  • February 12, 2013 11:58 AM
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  • 2 Comments
Reviews
Taking the concept of binge-watching to a whole new theatrical level, we were lucky enough to spend most of our Sunday at the Berlin Film Festival in a large auditorium consuming Jane Campion’s six-hour “Top of the Lake” TV series, which will air in seven episodes on The Sundance Channel starting March 18th. It was a great experience, and not just because of the quality storytelling and filmmaking on display, but because of the sense of community and buzz you get at this type of event. We saw the show divided into three two-hour chunks, and during the brief intermissions, the audience buzzed with speculation: who was the father of the unborn child? Was X dead or alive? What was the significance of Y?
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More: Jane Campion, Top Of The Lake, Berlin International Film Festival, Review, Elisabeth Moss, Holly Hunter, Peter Mullan, Television, TV Reviews

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