Drama – Kimichee

November 22, 2014

RE TV SHOW: Peaky Blinders [crime drama, historical]

Title: Peaky Blinders
Created by: Steven Knight
Written by: Steven Knight
Directed by: Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper, and Colm McCarthy
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, Helen McCrory, Annabelle Wallis, Paul Anderson, Iddo Goldberg, Sophie Rundle, Joe Cole, Ned Dennehy, Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley, Noah Taylor, and Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Genre: historical fiction, British TV Drama
Warning: This show is violent.

Summary: Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is the charismatic leader of a Birmingham, England crime organization known for its distinctive and lethal razor-brimmed caps. As the ambitious, deadly Tommy leads his crew to ever-greater success after World War I, they come to the attention of a chief inspector (Sam Neill) who is sent from Belfast to rid the city of its criminals. Annabelle Wallis costars in this period thriller from the writer-director of “Locke.”

Here’s the Wikipedia entry on the Peaky Blinders — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaky_Blinders — Yep, they were were a real criminal gang based in Birmingham, England. And because they were so notable and interesting, a show, aptly named “Peaky Blinders,” was created about them — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaky_Blinders_(TV_series) — that currently has two completed seasons (12 episodes) and is waiting for a third.

Link: Peaky Blinders on Netflix.

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I avoided this show because I’ve found that crime dramas usually draw me in before attempting to tear my heart out emotionally and I didn’t think I could handle another show like that. But finally I gave in to Netflix’s constant recommending, and I’m glad that I did.

Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby sucked me right into the story of a crime family expanding its hold over the city of Birmingham. Starting out as small-potatoes, due to Tom’s cleverness and planning, the Shelby family and the Peaky Blinders become a power to be reckoned with. And in the meantime they amass … Read the rest “RE TV SHOW: Peaky Blinders [crime drama, historical]”

June 30, 2014

RE TV SHOW: Tyrant [drama]

Title: Tyrant
Genre: drama
Created by: Gideon Raff
Starring: Adam Rayner, Ashraf Barhom, Jennifer Finnigan, Justin Kirk, Noah Silver, Anne Winters
Blurb from IMDB: Series tells the story of an unassuming American family drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation.

Info borrowed from Wikipedia: Tyrant is an American drama television series created by Israeli director, screenwriter, and writer Gideon Raff and developed by Howard Gordon and Craig Wright. A 10-episode first season has been ordered by the American cable network FX. The series premiered on June 24, 2014. The pilot episode was written by Raff and directed by David Yates.

Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed is from the fictional war-torn country of Abbudin. He has been living in self-imposed exile in Los Angeles for nearly 20 years. Barry, the younger son of Baladi’s dictator, ends his exile to return with his American family to his homeland for his nephew’s wedding. His arrival leads to a dramatic culture clash, as he reluctantly returns to the familial and national politics he once left.

I watched the pilot of FX’s Tyrant and I am eagerly anticipating the next episode. There is such a great framework and the potential for a truly amazing show.

Barry Al Fayeed is a pediatrician living in California with his wife Molly and two teenaged children, daughter Emma and son Sammy. But Barry is also Bassam Al Fayeed, second son of Khaled Al Fayeed, presidential dictator of Abbudin.