STACK NZ Nov #57

REVIEWS

DVD&BD

Minnesota madness FARGO: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Norse, of course VIKINGS: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

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Release Date: 12/11/14

Release Date: 05/11/14

TV

Fears that this TV adaptation of the Coen Brothers film favourite might be a bad idea were quickly nixed by resounding approval from critics and viewers alike. Don’t compare this to the Coens’ film; think of it as an alternate universe version of the same story. Unlike fellow film-turned-series From Dusk Till Dawn , Fargo eschews the need to recap the events of the movie; it’s set in a snowbound Minnesota milieu, shares similar characters and themes, and boasts the same blackly comic approach, but is content to do its

If you like your TV series gritty, brutal and Game of Thrones -ish, and your heroes dirty, bearded, braided, and handy with a sword, then you need to check out Vikings . Having previously posed in CK undies and starred a failed Tarzan series, Aussie-born Travis Fimmel has found his calling as Ragnar Lothbrok, warrior, farmer and family man, who leads the first Viking raids into England and achieves legendary status, much to the chagrin of his brother. Created by Michael Hirst ( The Tudors ) for the History Channel,

own thing. In this iteration, Martin Freeman is the wimpy insurance salesman who enlists the services of hitman Billy Bob Thornton to take out a longtime nemesis, creating a domino effect of criminal hijinks to keep local cops Allison Tolman and Bob Odenkirk busy. A must-see.

you’re guaranteed an accurate recreation of the period, as well as all the obligatory nudity and bloodshed that goes with it. Vikings have had variable success on the screen – The 13th Warrior, Pathfinder, Valhalla Rising et al – but this show gives the Norsemen their due.

Something to Crowe about JUSTIFIED: SEASON FIVE

Last drinks MAD MEN: THE FINAL SEASON, PART 1

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Release Date: 05/11/14

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Release Date: 05/11/14

Justified, like Sons of Anarchy, may not receive the rabid attention afforded shows from the HBO stable, but this Kentucky fried crime series has built a solid reputation and dedicated fan base over the course of four seasons. In this fifth and penultimate season, Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) locks horns with the Florida contingent of the redneck Crowe family, led by Darryl (Michael Rapaport), cousin to Raylan’s whipping boy Dewey (Daniel Herriman); while elsewhere, Boyd (Walton

Mad Men enters its seventh and final season, and like Breaking Bad , AMC have split the last series into two parts – the second of which will air next year. So it’s not all over just yet, thank goodness. The seventies’ are looming as Don Draper (Jon Hamm) heads down the road to redemption after hitting rock bottom last season. Don has always been the heart of the show, if not the moral compass, and fittingly he’s the focus of these first seven episodes. But will he return to the fold or

Goggins) must deal with a vengeful cartel and an imprisoned fiancée. Season Five continues to uphold the high standards set by late writer Elmore Leonard, and manoeuvres Raylan and Boyd toward their inevitable final showdown next year.

wind up working for a rival agency? His fate rests in the hands of the irrepressible Roger Sterling (John Slattery). Expect further mergers, a moon landing, a killer pitch from Peggy, a surreal song and dance routine, and a death. The fat lady is just warming up...

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