STACK NZ Nov #68

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Fantastic fantasy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Look Who’s back! Doctor who: Series 9, Part 1

Release Date: 12/11/15

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Release Date: 04/11/15

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Think period adventure yarns like Sharpe and Hornblower but filtered through the imagination of JK Rowling, and you will get an idea of where this dazzling seven part mini- series from the BBC is coming from. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set in alternative England where magic once flourished, but by the 19th Century is now only practiced on a strictly theoretical basis. Eddie Marsan plays Mr Norrell, a man whose mastery of ‘practical magic’ turns him into a celebrity but whose spells inadvertently opens the door to a sinister dark realm. Bertie Carvell,

Following some questionable behaviour in Series 8, Peter Capaldi’s Time Lord has finally discovered his calling, mellowing into a more likeable regeneration who isn’t adverse to jamming with a guitar and donning a pair of sonic shades (replacing his ubiquitous screwdriver). The new season kicks off with the kind of epic two-parter that would normally serve as the closer. In The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar , the Doctor and Clara face off against three familiar foes: the Daleks, their creator Davros, and Missy (formerly The Master).

meanwhile, is Jonathan Strange, a novice who Norrell takes on as his apprentice, even though he is prophesised to become England’s greatest magician. Wittily scripted and superbly acted, this fable works both as a classy period piece and a sumptuous gothic tale of the supernatural.

Continuing the run of two-parters, Under the Lake and Before the Flood is a traditional base-under-siege adventure, while The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived takes place in a Viking village and 17th century London, respectively, and guest stars Game of Thrones ’ Maisie Williams.

The end of an era Mad Men: The final season, PART 2

The Complete First Season HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

Release Date: 04/11/15

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Release Date: 25/11/15

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The last seven years in the company of Don Draper, Peggy Olsen, Pete Campbell, Roger Sterling, Joan Harris et al has been a colourful and engaging ride through the '60s and '70s and ad agency politics, viewed through a constant haze of cigarette smoke. More importantly, it was the journey of the philandering Don (Emmy-winner Jon Hamm) – a downward spiral of broken hearts and marriages and dissatisfaction – that held us captivated. In these final seven episodes he embarks on a road trip to find himself, but will his destiny echo the falling man

The latest show from the hit factory of Shonda Rhimes ( Grey’s Anatomy , Scandal ) is a deliriously over-the-top courtroom drama which moves along at such a frantic pace that you barely notice the far-fetched plotting. Created by Rhimes’ protégé Peter Nowalk, the series opens with a squabbling group of law students disposing of a dead body, that is eventually revealed to be the husband of their professor Analise Keating (Viola Davis), who has selected them for on-the-job experience with her high profile law firm. It turns out that she actually killed

of the title sequence, or will he finally find some kind of redemption and contentment? Matthew Weiner's outstanding retro series wraps up in fine style, with a satisfying yet ambiguous closure for its major players, and a sense that it's not about endings but rather new beginnings.

him because she believes he was responsible for the murder of a student on campus, so they now have to keep one step ahead of the police, while gathering the evidence that will prove that her now ‘missing’ husband is a killer. Utterly bonkers, but gripping all the same.

NOVEMBER 2015

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