2013 was a great TV year, at least, if you weren't watching home-grown drama, of which good stuff was few and far between. Most of the really good shows were axed this year.
But for cable or satellite viewers, it was a feast. Even unlikely premises and remakes of foreign shows were well received. For me, the standout show was Sky Atlantic's 'Ray Donovan':
The stellar cast, the taut writing, the slowly-revealed background story and the sense of onrushing doom combined to make this unmissable TV.
As for films, well, there were some utter stinkers and the predictable CGI-fests that we've come to expect these days from Hollywood. But the standout for me was 'The Place Beyond The Pines':
Never rated Ryan Gosling much, but he was superb in this.
8 comments:
have to admit the only 'home grown' I watched this year that I rated was Bluestone 42 and the Doctor Who special . The reat all been from the US
Movies pretty much meh all disappointed in one way or another esp. Monsters University expected better from Pixar.
Standout for me Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug exactly what we've come to expect from Peter Jackson LOTR films , brilliant as always
John V's performance in Ray Donovan. Masterpiece.Do not miss it.
I'll check out The Place Beyond the Pines, then.
My outstanding film (and admittedly I've only seen half a dozen) was Gravity, which left me overwhelmed at everything about it.
And I really liked Pacific Rim. Guillermo del Toro described it as operatic, and I think it's why I like it more than others have. It relies on a certain level of suspending disbelief and wallowing in the beauty and epic scale of it (whereas, Transformers isn't beautiful).
Biggest disappointment: The World's End. I had to double check the credits to check this was a Wright/Pegg written film, as it was not in the same league as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz.
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Well, the best television viewing over the festive period has been the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on BBC 4.
Oh bugger. I missed the Royal Inst Xmas Lectures. One of the best things on telly.
"have to admit the only 'home grown' I watched this year that I rated was Bluestone 42.."
I've not seen any of that. Must try catch up. So much of our stuff is good, but gets canned, like 'Ripper Street'... :(
"Masterpiece"
The cast really made this one. Every performance flawless. I hope season two is as good.
"My outstanding film (and admittedly I've only seen half a dozen) was Gravity..."
I haven't seen that yet - hope it's as good on the small screen.
'Pacific Rim' was big, dumb fun. A very 'boy's own' movie.
Heard awful things about 'World's End'. Shame.
"Oh bugger. I missed the Royal Inst Xmas Lectures."
I think catch up will ease your pain :)
"I haven't seen that yet - hope it's as good on the small screen."
I would try and catch it on the big one, if you can. It's not just the visuals and sound, but also the tension and that's what big screen does best (which is why horror still has a big screen audience and drama doesn't).
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