STACK NZ Sep #66

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AQUARIUS: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Helter skelter

RELEASE DATE: 09/09/15 FORMAT: BD/DVD It’s a bit glib to describe David Duchovny’s latest TV incarnation as being a composite of the two characters that he is best known for: The X Files ’ Fox Mulder and Californication ’s Hank Moody. However, the DNA from both those creations can be found in Detective Sam Hodiak, the lead character in this new crime show set in Los Angeles of the late ‘60s. Like Mulder, Hodiak is a brilliant, instinctive detective who has little time for the rulebook, while his laidback, laconic charm (and success with the ladies) is not a million miles away from Hank. That said, the show Aquarius most closely resembles is Michael Mann’s under-rated ‘80s series Crime Story , which was set in the early 60s and pitted a hard-nosed cop against a rising mob boss. Here, though, the main villain is a real life one, Charlie Manson (played by Gethin Anthony, best known for his role as Renly Baratheon in the first two

seasons of Game Of Thrones ), who has yet to graduate to mass murder but is busy assembling a devoted cult of followers on an isolated ranch outside the city. He comes into Hodiak’s orbit when the detective is asked by an old flame (Michaela McManus) to find her missing teenage daughter (Emma Dumont) who has fallen under the spell of Manson; the latter also turns out to have a

mysterious hold over her politician father (Brían F. O’Bryne). However, the Manson angle is just one of a number of the first season’s story arcs:

undercover hippie cop Brian Shafe (Grey Damon) is trying to infiltrate a heroin ring, rookie policewoman Charmaine Tully (Claire Holt) is fighting to be taken seriously as a cop, while Hodiak’s soldier son Walt (Chris Sheffield) has deserted from the army following his experiences in Vietnam. With storylines that also take in issues such as the rise of the Black Panthers and hate crimes, Aquarius is an appealingly gritty crime drama that also offers a stylish evocation of an era when the hippie dream began to sour. Let’s hope the second season lives up to the high standards set here.

THE FLASH: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON RELEASE DATE: 23/09/15 FORMAT: BD/DVD DC Comics’ “fastest man alive”, Barry Allen, gets a modern reworking in this CW series. Glee ’s Grant Gustin stars as the eponymous Central City crimefighter, whose superhuman speed is the result of being hit by a lightning bolt. Backed up by his brilliant friends, Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) and Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Barry strives to uncover the identity of the mysterious “streak” that killed his mother, and unravel the moral ambiguity of time travel. Throw in regular cameos from CW’s other smash hit, Arrow , and you’re in for a very Harrison Wells-done show. Cool running

EMPIRE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Get rich or die tryin’

RELEASE DATE: 09/09/15 FORMAT: DVD

This hip hop saga has been the US TV sensation of the year and it’s not hard to see why. Empire is essentially a throwback to the glossy big business family series of the ‘80s like Dynasty and Dallas , but spiced up with

some ghetto grit and storylines that take in both the creative and business sides of the music industry. Terrence Howard stars as a drug dealer turned rapper who has built a hugely successful entertainment business that he is now planning to float on the stock exchange. Unfortunately, he has also been diagnosed with an incurable disease, so he secretly sets about grooming one of his three sons – a brilliant but arrogant rapper, an MBA business graduate with mental issues and a gay R&B singer-songwriter who has been forced by dad to keep his sexuality secret – to succeed him as heir. However, complicating

things is the return of his scheming ex-wife (Taraji P. Henson), who took the fall for his old criminal activities and

now wants a share of his wealth. The wonderfully eclectic supporting cast includes Judd Nelson, Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love and Jennifer Hudson, while music fans will appreciate cameos from stars such as Snoop Dogg, Gladys Knight and Rita Ora. Guilty pleasures don’t come more enjoyable than this.

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