American Crime Story: Juicy Television

If it wasn’t for my incessant need to have some form of pun in my review headline this would instead be labelled: YOU REALLY NEED TO WATCH THIS. Since the very first episode I have been hooked on this retelling of the OJ Simpson trial and it really is a credit to Ryan Murphy and his team for the brilliant, high quality story telling, for managing to create a tense and suspense filled series with most, if not all, already knowing the outcome. However, it is easy to forget that the characters on screen, that most of these events…are based on truth.

I was a mere two years old when the double homicide of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman was committed, my only knowledge of this entire trial was what my family remembered and even that was sketchy. It was because of this that I found this series utterly mesmerising, shocking and it highlighted subjects that I just could not believe were still so relevant twenty years later. A dramatised, re-enactment this show may be but it was profoundly enlightening and I hope that the commissioned second season at FX has the same impact. 

Rick and Morty: Get Schwifty

This isn’t Game of Thrones, Morty. ~ Rick

That’s right Rick, your hilariously funny, top quality adult animated series is definitely not Game of Thrones…it’s even better! Sorry, yes I said it. I haven’t been able to stomach GoT since a couple of episodes into the fifth season and it was Rick and Morty and their weird and wonderful world that I ran away to. I wanted something completely different, I wanted something light and entertaining, and something that wasn’t going to disappoint. Creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, gave me exactly that. 

Inside The Netflix Vault: Firefly and Serenity

You’ve trawled through all of their originals, you’ve re-watched their Disney offerings too many times to count and so you delve deeper into the Netflix Vault to see what you can find. There are some, far braver than I who trek deeper into the realm of obscure to find shows that you’re not quite sure what an Earth Netflix was thinking. This time around my search was cut short as I was recommended Firefly with ardent enthusiasm and I got stuck in over the Christmas break. 

Poldark: A Turner Surprise

As promised, that one chance viewing of an episode on a flight gave me more reason enough to finish the series and hence this brand, spanking new review. Poldark did not disappoint. Not that I was expecting it to, but I was also not expecting to be in tears by the finale or pulling on my hair during moments of sudden increased tension, or for that matter squeeing with happiness at how surprised I was by the direction of the plot.

Empire: All About The Music

First things first, I’m terrible at loving music. In fact, I’m a music lover’s worst nightmare. I never had that one particular band, group or singer that I loved growing up and even now I can name only a few. I didn’t have that one music love that I could sing all the lyrics to and could support them enough to want to see them live. I never bought an album, had musically inspired posters or gushed over an artist. I bopped along to songs I liked and sung Disney songs louder than I should. Empire is a show whose very foundations are rooted in music and it’s industry and yet I still had a ball watching and listening to it. 

BB First Impressions: Jekyll and Hyde

Jekyll and Hyde, ITV’s brand spanking new Sunday revival drama aired this weekend with the promise to bring a supernatural feast to a Doctor Who’s age audience– or attempt to win the un-followers of the series, who have lost interest in BBC’s leading sci-fi drama due to the muddled and murky direction it has been led astray into…but that’s just a personal opinion. Firstly, I found it’s success rate of achieving that goal a hit and miss situation but overall I believe it has the foundations for an interesting adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel of 1886. 

How To Get Away With Murder: Guilty of Being Bingeable

How to Get Away with Murder had been on my radar since it premiered last year but with the plethora of continuing series keeping me busy and the show being on an obscure television channel here in the UK it was something I had completely forgotten about. That was until I watched the Emmy’s this year. In all honesty, I had been rooting for Tatiana Maslany who I have been supporting ever since the first episode of Orphan Black  and will continue to do so as she is in her own right an inspiring young actress. However, the importantly powerful and incredible acceptance speech given by Viola Davis when she won in that category gave me all the more reason to finally pay attention to a series that was lost in memory. I was not disappointed. 

Hunter X Hunter: Bingeable Anime

As someone who adored watching anime throughout my childhood from the likes of: Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, Beyblade and those episodes of Sailor Moon that are now lost in memory, I’m not so hesitant to delve into this realm of vibrant, creative and original series that many refuse to even try. Why are there people so reluctant to? Perhaps anime to those who have not peeped into the many hundreds that are out there consider it not appropriate for serious adult viewing, and it can be treated as children’s fodder compared to the mainstream television shows. (Much to the dismay of the millions of fans out there.) Just as many prefer not to watch foreign subtitled films, the same explanations could apply to anime which as popular as it is still remains a niche market for television in the broad worldwide sense.

Bitten: A Fresh Bite Into Werewolves

Werewolves. You’ve seen one you’ve seen them all right? Wrong. I’ve seen and read about my fair share of these lycanthropes, some considerably better than others I will admit, but just like the pull of the moon for a werewolf I am constantly intrigued by their adaptation to the screen. Where mistakes have been made in previous series or films is glorifying the curse as one to be desired, being able to shift into a powerful creature with painless ease and have complete control over said creature. Who wouldn’t fancy being able to sprout fluff and have a pleasant run the forest? What I like to see in a proper werewolf representation is: pain, raw animal instinct and a lack of control to a certain degree. These are hungry, blood thirsty, dangerous beasts after all right?