This week’s DVD releases feature plenty of fantastic, gripping, and underrated dramatic films and television series that are well worth a watch.
Glitch
This ABC series was a brilliant, original Australian drama. Starring Patrick Brammell as Senior Constable James Hayes,Glitch follows a group of six people who have inexplicably returned from the dead, including James’ wife Kate (Emma Booth), who died of cancer two years earlier. Glitch is a slow-burning but gripping drama, with the ending leaving the strong indication that we’ll be heading back to Yoorana next year for series two.
Outlander, Series 1
This STARZ series follows Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe), a head-strong nurse who served in WWII, as she travels back in time to the Scottish Highlands in 1943. There she meets Jamie (Sam Heughan), a handsome young Scot who Claire falls for, despite being married to Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies). Outlander combines history, adventure, and sci-fi, and has gained notoriety for its raunchy sex scenes.
Woman in Gold
Maria Altmann spent years of her life fighting to reclaim what was rightfully hers. After being forced to flee oncoming Nazi forces in Vienna, Austria, Maria moved to the US. She became a US citizen, but spends years of her life fighting to reclaim her family’s priceless art collection, including a Gustav Klimt portrait of her aunt, titled the ‘Woman in Gold’. Starring Helen Mirren as Maria, and Ryan Reynolds as her lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, Woman in Gold is an interesting true story that demonstrates the perseverence of a remarkable woman.
Aloha
Cameron Crowe’s 2015 film generated a fair bit of controversy, inciting accusations of white-washing the casting, with Emma Stone playing the role of a part-Asian character Alison Ng; nevertheless, the film was a box-office success. Aloha follows Brian Gilchrist (Bradley Cooper), a Military Contractor who visits Hawaii on business, only to have his life complicated by the arrival of Alison and also of his ex-partner, Tracy (Rachel McAdams).
American Horror Story, Series 1-4
Created by Glee showrunners Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck, American Horror Story is an anthology series that has introduced us to the inhabitants of a haunted house, an asylum, a coven of young witches, and Fraulein Elsa’s Freak Show. Each series is packed full of weird, wonderful, and scary creatures, and whilst some might not quite work, Murphy and Falchuck have delivered jump-out-of-your-seat horror moments in every season.
Foyle’s War, Complete Series
Foyle’s War, set in Britain during and after WWII, is an excellent, underrated, and underwatched BBC television show. Detective Foyle (Michael Kitchen) leads a team of investigators as they attempt to solve crimes and mysteries that have spawned from the devastation of the Second World War. The series also co-stars Anthony Howell as DS Paul Milner and a fantastic Honeysuckle Weeks as Foyle’s driver and assistant.
———-
