This Is England '90

This Is England '90

Review: Not often that I write about all the tv series that I see, but I just have to this time. I loved the film This Is England when it came out in 2006, and I have loved the sequel series that has been made. And after watching the latest one, This Is England '90, I'm blown away. This is about as good as it gets when it comes. Period. There's nothing about it that I can complain about. My brother Åke sometimes asks if nothing ever get 10/10 as a rating. Well, this one does. 

Rating: 10/10

Atari: Game Over

Atari: Game Over

Review: Even though I've never really been a big gamer, there is something about that culture that fascinates me. So when I stumbled upon this documentary on Netflix I just had to see it. It's basically about the rise and fall of Atari, and the mystery concerning the E.T. videogame. Fun to watch, but in the end nothing special. 

Rating: 6/10

Monty Python Live (mostly)

Monty Python Live (mostly)

Review: Watching the last Monty Python live show is not as much a joy because of the performances, but for the pure experience of seeing these comedy heroes doing their classic material one last time. A real treat. 

Rating: 6/10

The Fades

The Fades

Review: I have promised a friend of mine to write this review about the British tv show The Fades, so here it goes. The Fades is a fantasy/horror show that was produced for one season. It's about the fight between the living and ghosts. Kind of. It is quite entertaining, but I can not really say why. It sure is not for the effects, because they are crap. And the acting is not the best either. But it is fun somehow, and that is often enough. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Trailer Park Boys: Live in Fucking Dublin

Trailer Park Boys: Live in Fucking Dublin

Review: I'm usually a huge fan of everything the Trailer Park Boys have done, but this live show from Dublin just bores me to be honest. 

Rating: 3/10

Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth

Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth

Review: Undisputed Truth was a one-man show that Mike Tyson put up on Broadway. It's just him on a stage talking about his life. Might sound a bit boring, but it is strangely captivating. He is after all a person who has experienced a thing or two throughout his life. 

Rating: 6/10

Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter

I just finished watching the third and finale episode of the German mini-series Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter. A really good and well made tale of 5 German friends during World War II. It's interesting to see a film about this part in history told strictly from a German perspective. A definite recommendation for anyone interested in history and the human psyche.

Rating: 8/10

Dag

Not too many tv shows can keep the standard up after more than one or two seasons. I just finished watching the third season of the Norwegian show Dag, and it's still as good as it was at the beginning of the first one. Great actors, highly entertaining storylines and the humour is still on point. Can't wait for the fourth season!

Rating: 8/10

Black Mirror

Black Mirror is a British mini-series that began on Channel 4 in 2011. So far they have made 6 episodes, and I must say that I'm a big fan. Not all of the detached episodes are great, but the ones who are are really very good. Weird and good, just the way I like it. Think of a darker version of the Twilight Zone and you're close.

Rating: 7.5/10

Parade's End

Usually it's very easy to decide if you like a tv show or not. Either it's good or most likely it's bad. Parade's End however throws me off. I've now watched the five episodes, and I'm not sure what I think. I didn't really enjoy it in the true sense of the word, but at the same time I couldn't stop myself from watching it. Two good reasons for watching it is of course Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall, who both did excellent performances. And of course I like the period drama and the language in it. But still. I will probably always be undecided about Parade's End. Worth watching though. Or is it?

Rating: 5/10

The Thick of It

Just finished watching the fourth season of the highly entertaining British comedy show The Thick of It, and I will miss it. Especially the character Malcolm Tucker, he's been like a wonderfully evil relative these last few weeks.

Rating: 7/10

Derek

I just watched the third episode of Ricky Gervais show Derek. I'm not really convinced by it. I have a feeling that I know what they want to accomplish with the series, to make a warm and funny show that makes you reflect about life. But in order to really accomplish that in 20 minute episodes they would need a better script and better actors. Nice try though.

House of Cards

I just finished watching the first season of Netflix's new tv drama House of Cards. Was it as good as I hoped it would be after watching the initial two episodes? Yes, it was. It's one of the more interesting series that have come out these last few years. It might not be as good as for example Newsroom if you ask me, but still very good and a lot of it because of an excellent cast. I also really liked that Netflix decided to release all 13 episodes at once, letting us viewers decide for ourselves when to watch them. I'm looking forward to season 2.

Rating: 8/10

Allt Faller

There's not question about it whatsoever! Allt Faller is the best Swedish tv-show in more years than I can begin to count. Yesterday the final episodes was shown on TV4. As much as I will miss the show, I hope there won't be a second season. Quit while you're ahead.

Rating: 9/10

House of Cards

Just watched the first two episodes of Netflix's new show House of Cards. As a fan of political dramas and Kevin Spacey, this was a nice watch and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the season.

Palme

Palme

Review: First off  I have to say that what I saw wasn't the version of Palme that went up at the cinema. I was too lazy to get around to watching it there. I saw what you might call the extended version of it that Swedish television showed during the holidays. With that out of the way, this was a really great documentary. Well put together, personal and showing a bit of both sides of this man. There are certain scenes that the makers of it put in just for effect which I felt was unnecessary, but with that being said, I really recommend everyone with a slight bit of interest for modern history to check it out.

Rating: 7.5/10

Derek Pilot Episode

I don't know why I haven't seen this one before, but better late than never I guess. Derek is a British comedy series starring Ricky Gervais, Karl Pilkington and Kerry Godliman. This pilot was aired in April this year, and in the beginning of 2013 the show was start on Channel 4. The pilot was promising, so I'm looking to see if the show can live up to that.

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff

Review: I love stumbling across things like this! The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff is a four-part BBC comedy show, that parodies the works of Charles Dickens. The cast is a joy, many of my favourite British comedians make an appearance and the stylings are quite lovely. I get a Christmassy feel of it all, and for some reason I get a Terry Pratchett vibe while watching. The show is quite weird and out there sometimes, but I can't help smiling all the way through it and ending up feeling sad that it's over now. A true joy to watch!

Rating: 7.5/10

An Idiot Abroad Season 3

Time now for the third season of An Idiot Abroad. Not my favourite show on television, but I couldn't really stay away. This time around Karl Pilkington is joined by Warwick Davis. A few good laughs, but not really convinced. We'll see if it gets better as it keeps going.

Whites

I don't like shows that are cancelled after only one season. Or to be honest, I don't like when they cancel shows that I like at least. There's one good thing about it though, you never have the time to get sick of the show. And that's the case with Whites. The reason I decided to watch it was simple, it featured Alan Davies.  I never seen him act before and wasn't quite sure what to expect. But it was a pleasant surprise, and he is great as the lead character. Do you like cooking shows and British humour? Give the six episodes of Whites a chance.