Californication – The Way of the Fist Review

January 18, 2012 by Al

‘Hank turns down the job to write Samurai Apocalypse’s new movie, but Sam refuses to take no for an answer and takes Hank to a meet with director Peter Berg, where they discover that Hank and Peter have shared more than just a love of writing.‘

After a season premiere that left me with an equal mix of hope and concern for the upcoming season, The Way of the Fist plays it safe and tells a fairly low-key (for Californication anyway) story while setting up several plot lines to spice things up over the next few episodes.

There isn’t really all that much to complain about Continue reading →

Sherlock – The Reichenbach Fall Review

January 16, 2012 by Al

‘Moriarty embarks upon what may be the crime of the century, but breaking into H.M.P. Pentonville, the Tower of London, and the Bank of England is only the start. Sherlock must discover what his greatest foe is up to and stop him, but his reputation, and even his life, come under threat.‘

The creators of Sherlock proved themselves to be masters of the art of the cliffhanger with Season 1’s The Great Game and they have reinforced that impression with this week’s The Reichenbach Fall. Based on Doyle’s story The Final Problem; famous for the first appearance of Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty and the apparent death of the great detective – The Reichenbach Fall is a tense battle of wits between two masterminds that felt very satisfying in its conclusion, despite the fact that we all knew where it was headed from the start.

One of the most interesting aspects of this episode was Continue reading →

Sherlock – The Hounds of Baskerville Review

January 12, 2012 by Al

‘Henry Knight claims that his father was killed by a monstrous creature at large in Dartmoor, and asks Sherlock for help. When he and John Watson arrive on the moors to investigate, they discover a top-secret army base.‘

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss once again show everyone how an adaptation should be done with an update on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous stories – The Hound of the Baskervilles. While the narrative strays from the original very quickly, the spirit of the story is kept intact and there are plenty of references for die-hard Holmes fans.

The Hounds of Baskerville takes on much more Continue reading →

Californication – JFK to LAX Review

January 10, 2012 by Al

‘Californication returns and picks up two and a half years after Hank departed Los Angeles with Karen leaving him for another guy and moving on.‘

People could be forgiven for thinking that the Season 4 finale of Californication – And Justice For All was meant to end the series. The major story arcs had been wrapped up and it looked like Hank Moody might finally be ready to get on with his life, driving into the sunset with his typewriter in the backseat. But no series as popular as Californication is allowed to rest on its laurels, every last penny has to be squeezed out and so we have JFK to LAX, the premiere for a fifth season of a show that seemed to have said all it needed to.

Season 5 picks a few years down the road Continue reading →

Sherlock – A Scandal in Belgravia Review

January 4, 2012 by Al

‘The monarchy is threatened by some the emergence of some compromising photographs. Sherlock is soon on the case, and uncovers links with international terrorism and corruption in the British government. But to avert a royal scandal he must best Irene Adler, a woman every bit as brilliant as he is.‘

Fans the world over have been waiting anxiously for Season 2 of Sherlock so they can finally get a conclusion to The Great Game‘s nail-biting cliffhanger. While there is certain to be a lot of disappointment at how things end up playing out, the rest of the episode more than makes up for it.

A Scandal in Belgravia moves away from the standard pattern Continue reading →

Boardwalk Empire – Ourselves Alone Review

October 13, 2011 by Al

‘When realizing that he might be losing control over Atlantic City, Nucky tries to figure out which one of his men betrayed him. When agents search the Treasurer’s Office for evidence, Margaret tries to dig into her past to help Nucky in the present.‘

Boardwalk Empire continues to go from strength to strength. With the season premiere ending on such a cliffhanger, I knew that this episode was going to be interesting, but it still managed to exceed my expectations. The power struggles are certainly heating up in Atlantic City, and who knows which players will still be standing at the end of the season.

Ourselves Alone never lets up on the tension. Just as things seem Continue reading →

At Home With Julia – Citizens’ Assembly Review

September 29, 2011 by Al

‘It’s like any relationship. Who walks the dog? Who puts the bins out? Who sends the troops to Afghanistan? These are just some of the questions facing PM Julia Gillard and boyfriend Tim Mathieson.‘

At Home With Julia has been rating fairly well for the ABC, and has certainly sparked some discussion, but as a show it never really worked. The controversy created by the show’s marketing team has been the main selling point, and it is debatable whether anyone will remember in a year that it was anything more than the first satire of a Prime Minister at home on Australian TV.

After last week’s improvement with the show’s political one-liners, it seemed odd Continue reading →

Terra Nova – Genesis Review

September 28, 2011 by Al

‘In the year 2149, the planet Earth is a disaster, and most of the plant and animal life has become extinct. Scientists can’t reverse the damage, but have found a way to travel back to prehistoric times to save the human race.‘

There’s been a lot of buzz building about Fox’s new sci-fi show Terra Nova. Take Steven Spielberg and several other sci-fi veterans, add time travel and dinosaurs, and you seem to have the recipe for a sure-fire hit. Unfortunately, after the disappointment of Falling Skies earlier this year, Spielberg’s name in the EP slot doesn’t do that much for me anymore. There’s a whole bunch of things that need to come together to make a compelling series; dinosaurs aren’t going to keep people around forever.

Thankfully, the team behind Terra Nova seem to have made Continue reading →

Boardwalk Empire – 21 Review

September 27, 2011 by Al

‘Nucky faces a lot of insurrection among some of his most trusted people. Chalky’s own life is threatened when the Ku Klux Klan launch an attack too close to home. Margaret must deal with her son’s disciplinary behavior. Angela asks Gillian’s advice over Jimmy’s affections at home. And Van Alden decides to show his wife, Rose, around the town for her anniversary.‘

Boardwalk Empire was one of my favourite shows from 2010. It was great to see a period drama that was willing to take its time setting up all the various plot threads, and allow the show to rest entirely on its characters without relying on gratuitous nudity to keep audiences interested (not that there wasn’t plenty of skin on show, it just wasn’t the focus of the show). Now, nearly a year later, it’s time to dive back in to the seedy underworld of prohibition era Atlantic City.

We left the first season with a montage of our characters reflecting on Continue reading →

At Home With Julia – The Leaker Review

September 22, 2011 by Al

The controversy that has been brewing about this week’s episode of At Home With Julia gave me some hope that the show would lift itself out of the hole it’s been digging and deliver some of the outrageous comedy that you generally only see on the ABC. Unfortunately, the supposedly offensive scene was merely a throwaway gag in the middle of an episode that while better than Code Ranga, was completely mediocre.

One improvement over last week is with the political Continue reading →

Esoteric Fish – Shallow and Pedantic

Category Archives: TV Reviews