STACK NZ Jan-Feb #59

REVIEWS

DVD&BD

The Martell Family Enters the Game GAME OF THRONES: COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON

More Shades of Terror THE FALL: SERIES 2

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Release Date: 18/02/15

Release Date: 12/02/15

TV

Picking up pretty much straight after the shocking conclusion of the third series, season four continues the main story arcs, while introducing a major new royal family, the Martells. They’ve arrived in King’s Landing for the wedding of the monstrous King Joffrey but their leader, the wonderfully debauched Red Viper, also has a score to settle with the Lannisters. Elsewhere, Jon Snow struggles to convince his skeptical superiors about the threat posed by Mance Rayder’s army, Daenerys learns that ruling cities can be harder than conquering

The second series of the chilling thriller picks up days after the first one ended with Jamie Dornan (soon to be seen in 50 Shades of Grey ) back as serial killer Paul Spector, who fled to Scotland when the police appeared to be closing in on him. But when his family return to Belfast, it is not long before the outwardly charming murderer follows them back there. And when Spector discovers that one of his victims has survived and could provide crucial evidence to the police investigation, the show takes an even more terrifying turn. Meanwhile,

them, and the surviving Stark kids continue on their respective journeys in the wilderness. Although this season doesn’t include anything quite as shocking as the Red Wedding, a number of major characters meet messy ends, ensuring that this remains a must-own TV juggernaut.

DSI Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), the enigmatic detective leading the hunt to catch the killer, has her own demons which Spector exploits as he plays a cat-and-mouse game with her in a series that is at times disturbing and harrowing, but always compelling.

Paying the Price of Playing God HELIX: SEASON 1

Political Pawn THE HONOURABLE WOMAN

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Release Date: 21/01/15

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Release Date: 11/12/14

An arctic research facility. A group of isolated scientists. A monstrous threat unleashed. Lots of body horror and icky FX. No, it’s not John Carpenter’s The Thing but rather a new sci-fi series from Battlestar Galactica producer Ronald D. Moore. A Centres for Disease Control specialist (Billy Campbell, US’s The Killing ) is dispatched to the Arctic Biosystems base to assist in the containment of a mysterious disease, which transforms its victims into aggressive, zombielike ‘vectors’ intent on spreading the infection. Elsewhere, the facility’s

American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal adopts a cut-glass English accent and gives a first-class performance in a riveting thriller, brimming with intricate twists, complex family relationships and political intrigue. Gyllenhaal stars as Nessa Stein, a wealthy Anglo-Israeli businesswoman, who has been made a British baroness because of her charitable work aimed at trying to bring peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But when one of Nessa’s

business partners dies in suspicious circumstances and her brother’s adopted son is kidnapped, M16 starts taking an interest in Nessa, and her past comes back to haunt her. Written by Hugo Blick ( The Shadow Line ), The Honourable Woman is taut to breaking point and packed with complex and utterly watchable characters.

all-powerful parent company has its own plans for dealing with the outbreak. Unfolding in a confined, sterile environment, Helix plays on pandemic paranoia and delivers a gripping and claustrophobic variation on this familiar theme.

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