That Movie Gay #2016

Around two years to this day I saw a film that changed thrillers and the way I enjoyed the cinema experience, that film was Gone Girl, almost exactly two years after that comes THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN.



I have longed for the cinema after a woeful few weeks of School Holiday releases and this week one of the most anticipated films of 2016 hit the big screen.

Look I get it parents need shit for there brats to do during the holidays but really Hoyts, Greater Union and other cinema sites, can you remember you core audience 18-49 year olds plus the grey haired brigade. Seniors have time a plenty and young people have disposable cash and need to be attracted from their homes and Netflix subscriptions, because honey boo boo Netflix is turning out some top notch films as well as brilliant series and documentaries.

Sp after my social commentary it's time for me to sing the praise of this outstanding film. OK I am biased this film made me feel things, this film changed the way I viewed relationships, this film shined the light on the ugliness of domestic violence and the treatment of some women in horrific relationships.

The original book was written by a woman and the women in this film (particularly lead Blunt) was outstanding.

This movie used no special effects, no gimmicks, no superhero powers, no nonsense just human nature, real human emotions.

All the cast were outstanding and it's so refreshing seeing so much of Alison Janney on Netflix and the big screen. Justin Theroux was also great on the big screen after I have spent two years trying to work out the Leftovers and thinking fuck this man is good looking in a dirty, creepy and would probably fuck you nine ways into Sunday kinda way.

So The Girl on The Train, I loved it, the audience I saw this with I hear some dodgy remarks about casting and god knows what other small technical faults but for any faults this film has it makes up with it's raw message and it's building of tension and pure brutal honesty.

I loved this and will go so far as to say after Snowden the other week these are two outstanding films. Thank god School Holidays are over so we can see brilliant pieces of cinema like this, like Gone Girl I am going rogue for a rating, 5.5 Stars.

Hyde & Seek

What is this, two GOOD and strong new Aussie shows on at once? WHAT! Plus the Code wrapping this week on ABC? After Channel Nine greenlit Doctor Doctor for a second series I was a little uneasy going into their next venture Hyde & Seek, however it was brilliant.

More edgy and fast paced than The Wrong Girl but again with a strong cast and current issues explored. Looks it's no Foxtel original nor HBO/Showtime drama but it is outstanding in the current climate of Aussie drama.

Matt Noble continues his run of good roles after the swim coach in ABC's brilliant mini series Barracuda and Tai Hara, HUBBA HUBBA! And then there Love Child favourite Rhonda from Bali, less Ketut.

Channel Nine has a fairly weak drama schedule at present with the very ordinary House Husbands, shocking Doctor Doctor, Love Child which needs to be cancelled after the rushed and very average third season. And that said most of the Love Child cast have moved on anyways, including Rhonda in this show, Marais in The Wrong Girl and the hot LaPaglia hosting over on Ten.

The House of Bond is set to land in 2017 and they seriously need a replacement for Love Child in their schedule however with House Husbands banished from the screens in 2016 this might be the replacement.

So back to Hyde & Seek, part terrorism drama/thriller, part cop show, this has hit written all over it. Well done Nine for going with this project as you really don't have a great record of late (if ever).

That Netflix Gay #2016

Netflix continues to dominate the streaming world (as reported this week, Presto it's time to go on Jan 31 2017) so it's no wonder I looked to EASY for my next binge fest.



This show (no pun intended) is EASY to watch, short, sharp and well written. I am 4 episodes in and just hit play on episode five (no Orlando Bloom yet) and I love the storytelling and the different stories represented in each episode.

I can see myself in several of the stories and great seeing the handsome Dave Franco on Netflix. Also great seeing Looking (HBO) star Raul Castillo as a straight controlling male in the Spanish heavy episode four Controlada. I feel Netflix is helping my Spanish language skills after this and Narcos.

Easy is a rare 30 minute series on the streaming service (yeah I gave Grace and Frankie a shot but mmmhhhhmmmm) as the service generally favours longer dramas and more gritty hour plus episodes of Marvel series.

Easy is a good watch and one I recommend dear readers.

Easy half way through gets a solid 4 Stars.

Netflix has a new weapon...

Killer documentaries. And as I started this post on the long weekend we started the week with Netflix killing one of it's two main competitors in Australia, bye bye Presto.

Presto had the square root of fuck all going for it, exclusive content included the axed US drama Aquarius which was so poorly viewed in the US and also a true life crime going nowhere, fast!

Mr Robot is also one of the most downloaded shows so ain't no one paying $10 a month for a show one can grab on the torrents.

The one thing Presto had going for it was Wentworth and some of the Aussie Foxtel dramas. Anyway back to why Netflix is slaughtering there competition. Not to mention competition in the same industry but live entertainment and people leaving the house in general. Thanks to Foodora and Deliveroo too I think. Not to mention Uber Eats, why next winter will I ever leave the house.

So over the long weekend I binged on documentaries on Netflix (and a little Easy, gosh that was all killer no filler so far!) I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and Amanda Knox.

Look Steve Aoki's music was originally for me but I haven't listened to a lot of his work lately but man his doco almost had me in tears towards the end, just brilliant and Amanda Knox. Well I heard about this obviously as I love ABC News 24 but this case was trial by media and also so badly handled.

Like the Jon Bonet event, only the people at this Italian place will now what truly happened that night. As I watched the doco I was nowhere near convinced of anything. But what I loved was the variety the the superior quality of these Netflix documentaries.

Luke Cage, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Bloodline and more all draw viewers and subscribers a like to this wonderful entertainment hub but this line of quality original programming is an added dimension that shows Presto would never last in this game. Foxtel unless you also lift your game, you could be next.

Stan maybe hurry up and renew Wolf Creek and start creating new original material or otherwise Fairfax and Nine Ent Co you have another dog on your hands like the frequently decreasing pages in the SMH or Channel Nine's ghastly Block series number 150.

The Wrong Girl + Aussie Drama OVERLOAD!

I recently (like mid last month) laid shit on Doctor Doctor it was awful and despite my criticism Doctor Doctor has received a second series despite the show dropping in ratings and being beaten by today's subject The Wrong Girl.

The Wrong Girl is actually outstanding and although it is light n fluffy and nowhere as gritty as Wentworth or the terrific Secret City on Foxtel. The Wrong Girl is actually a step in the right direction.

Jessica Marais is divine as the less than perfect lead and the support cast are actually not 100% irritating.

Australian Drama seems to be exclusively for after the sports seasons with Ten launching this series, Nine launching the god awful Doctor Doctor and last night Hyde and Seek commenced. Seven gave the Secret Daughter a go after Jessica Mauboy after her interesting performance at the NRL grand final.

Deep Water is showing SBS will also have another go at Australian drama in the mini series format and ABC are wrapping up The Code this week.

The Wrong Girl to me has a few things going for it, one a good lead in with the Bachelorette, two a strong lead, Craig McLachlan and some strong supporting cast and a story we can all relate to in a setting not all of us are used to.

With all this drama on offer, the US drama shows almost all in full swing, its a busy time for the most expensive television to produce, I feel the Wrong Girl should definitely be given another go with a second series and a good replacement on Ten with Offspring smelling a bit past it's used by date.

Ten is celebrating a bit of return to form with some reality shows firing, Studio Ten actually gaining audience numbers and with their lack of news and sports offerings they somehow manage to have a competitive schedule now.

So well done to Ten I wrote you off but the Wrong Girl shows someone there is making decent decisions.

Empire Season 3.

This season (the third of Empire) has opened up all Black Lives Matter guns a blazing with the big reveal of who fell from the roof and bit the dust.

Empire has been one of those rare success stories in recent US Network TV history. Like Glee it mixes music with drama and unlike Smash it doesn't suck and get all lost in it's storytelling.

Smash was a massive disaster for NBC in it's poorly viewed second season, after starting with over 11 million viewers in it's first episode of season one, the show slumped to below 2 million in it's second outing.

Empire on the other hand started at just under 10 million viewers but when it returned in it's second year it was up to almost 17 million viewers.

Yes it's slightly down this year but for Fox it's still the jewel in the crown of a network with some real drama (no pun intended) on it's hand. Scream Queens is rating less than 2 million viewers in it's last poor outing, Gotham has failed to gain over 4 million viewers this season and there other DC series Lucifer is also under the 5 million viewer mark.

So Empire looks extremely healthy in comparison to it's other Fall season shows. With newcomer Star by Empire creator Lee Daniels looking to be another Star performer for the network new series Pitch is off to a rather pitchy start.

Lee Daniels is a visionary and the guest stars on Empire to date have been nothing short of amaze balls. Let's hope this series of Empire continues the great music and great guests. I would love Kendrick, Anderson or Chance the Rapper to have a bit of a crack in 2016-2017.

The first track Freedom from episode one was another great Jamal joint whilst Hakeem continues to only get better looking. Cookie continues to steal/own the show and even young Precious is coming into her own.

Look if you want drama plus some Timbaland produced beats EMPIRE is the show for you (and me), still (along with How to Get Away with Murder (also in it's third outing)) one of my favourite US dramas right now. Boundary pushing and touching on the real issues of the world, Empire is a star studded tour de force!

The Blacklist Season 4.

The Blacklist is entering a huge year, not only is it it's fourth season but it's spinoff show The Blacklist: Redemption is set to air sometime this year.

This show started off with huge ratings and a very predictable procedure storyline per episode. Blacklisted bad guy named at the start of the show, Red makes the chase with Elizabeth Keen, they chase, they catch and then the next episode is the rinse and repeat start again.

Somewhere during season 2/3 the format started to drift and major storylines started to feature throughout the series. Liz Keen died, then what? Liz Keen went to the dark side, then saw the light again (literally) and her boyfriend/whatever Tom Keen, then multiple new names throughout series was a good guy, bad guy then the new lead in the spin off.

Along with Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold) Famke Janssen will be the main talent in the new spin off. Remember her from Nip/Tuck (when Ryan Murphy was a little more consistent), the Taken film series and X-Men films.

I have only watched the gripping first episode of this series with the second ready to go this NSW long weekend of sport, sport and more sport! But this series is lining up to be absolutely brilliant.

Action series are tricky you either like in the old days have a formula you stick to per episode or you go rogue and aim for almost movie like big action sequences. The second is where I believe The Blacklist is headed which is good news in my eyes.

This series has growed and unlike others in it's genre, has only gotten better with age. NBC has a winner on it's hands here and I hope Blindspot also takes a leaf out of the Blacklist and starts to drop the tattoo per episode formula and move more into series long storylines.

The Blacklist is now airing in the US on NBC.