6ix Passions

TV Review > The Killing, season 1

I wish all crime TV series were made the same: one episode, one day of investigation. The pace is absolutely perfect and it lets you the time to appreciate and get in touch with each of the characters.

The U.S. TV series is based on the Danish one of the same name, Forbrydelsen, meaning “The Crime”. Two series has already been done in Denmark and a third is in the making.

I will probably start watching those series with some English subtitles, as I very much liked the U.S. one. It was thrilling and remember me the pleasure I had watching The Wire while the pace was more sustained and thrilling.

My Rating: 4/5

The Killing Trailer on YouTube
The Killing Official site

TV Review > Downton Abbey

I’ve been VERY impressed by the British TV series Downton Abbey. It’s a seven episodes first season (a second season has been confirmed to be released at the end of 2011). The writing, acting and the story behind this aristocrat family and their servants is fascinating. It begins in 1921, when the Titanic sank, until Britain declare war with Germany. We follow the family and their struggle to find a successor to their heritage as the Lord and his wife had only three girls.

I don’t want to say further as I do not want to spoil anything. I recommend you to give it a try, to at least 3 episodes, even if at first it doesn’t sound like something you may like. You will see, it will grow into you. As much as Mad Men or The Wire could.

My rating: 4/5

TV Review > Mad Men

My first experience with the Mad Men series has not been good. I did watch about six or seven shows and didn’t find anything attractive to the series. To tell you the truth, I did find it truly boring. I found the relation that Don Draper had with her depressed wife Betty to be of no interest for me to spend 45 minutes each episode.

The world around me were not stopping talking about it, claiming it was one of the best series around. I didn’t know what they were finding in this slow and boring show. Then a month ago, remembering what my friend Barclay told me about the series: “You need to invest yourself in it”, I decided to give it a second chance without promising I would even go further than the seventh episode.

In lest than a month I did finish 3 seasons! I have found the series to be good, not exceptional, but good and intriguing. Then I begun watching the fourth season. This is when I understood what investing yourself into it really means. The fourth season is certainly one of the best ever written. It went from being good, to very good, to exceptional in less than seven episodes. The Mad Men episode 407 “The Suitcase” is certainly the best throughout the all series. It is outstanding.

In a single line I would describe the series Mad Men as this: You need to invest yourself in it, and when you do, you get rewarded very generously.

Here’s a video of Don Draper saying “What?” in all of its glorious inflections from the first four seasons. I think this is the best signature the show can get. Now each time you will hear Don saying it after watching this little piece of anthology, it would be difficult not to smile.

My rating: 4.5/5 (most of it because of the extraordinary season 4)

TV Review > Sherlock

I always have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes. I remember, as a young boy, the pleasure I got reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. If you ask me Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a genius, not far from being the God of the detective genre.

When 41 of the 60 Sherlock Holmes adventures have been adapted to the screen and portrayed by the more than excellent Jeremy Brett, I was going out of my mind watching each episodes. I remember it to be like a religion, watching it alone and in silence. I did not miss a single episode.

I almost had a stroke when I saw for the first time the trailer of the latest Sherlock Holmes adaptation by the big studios of Hollywood. Thinking that they probably have ruined the character trying to please a younger audience, but I did actually enjoyed very much the movie.

Last week, looking for some TV series to watch, I ended up on Sherlock, an another adaption of the celebrated detective.

Reading the synopsis on Metacritic:

This three-part series retells the tale of England’s most celebrated detective but in a modern-day setting, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman taking the leads as Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson respectively.

I did wonder, again, if they didn’t try to make Sherlock Homes a crossbreed between CSI and 902010 to please a younger audience, but the score of 9.0 looks to be too high for being simply some adolescent praises.

25 minutes into the first episode of 1h20 minutes long, I was in total burst. I had the feeling of being back 15 years ago, discovering the pleasure I had while reading the books. My brain was on fire!

The three episodes have been created by Steven Moffat et Mark Gatiss both long fans of Sherlock Homes and writers on Doctor Who, the longest-running science fiction television show in the world.

I have watched the three episodes by now and I can tell you that this modern adaptation of Sherlock Homes is not good, not very good, not excellent, more like f***ing outstanding. The actors are good, but what is truly amazing, is the quality of the stories. Way better than any crime or detective movies you have seen in the past 10 years.

I can’t wait for the second series to begins. A three 90-minute episodes is scheduled to be broadcast in Autumn 2011.

My Rating: 5/5

Sherlock Official Site
BBC Sherlock Trailer on YouTube
Interview with Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss about creating a modern Sherlock
Sherlock on Wikipedia

TV Rewiew > Persons Unknown

Persons Unknown is about a bunch of strangers who are kidnapped and find themselves in a strange and empty town.

Truly this is all it is about, nothing more. More like a mix between Big Brother and SAW II, but in much worse. It is poorly acted and the story is boring as hell. Even after 4 episodes it doesn’t get more interesting.

My rating: 1.5/5