ScreenScribe

Netflix’s oppressively moody Anna Faris thriller, Marcella, will have its NZ TV premiere screen next month on Sky Box Sets instead of the previously scheduled Fargo. Series one will screen in quasi-HD whereas series one and two can be streamed in 4K on Netflix. Also new to SBS will be the season two premiere of Happy!, […]

Hap and Leonard (SoHo, 8.30 Sunday) “Based on a series of novels by the great Texas writer Joe R. Lansdale, Hap and Leonard is in no hurry to get to the point — and that’s part of what’s so pleasurable about it. It has been compared in reviews to Justified, probably because of its laid-back characterisations, courtly drawls, […]

Who needs SoHo when you can buy on Blu-ray complete seasons of Justified, The Wire and Boardwalk Empire? All three are being released this week, along with seasons one of The Knick and Defiance. The Justified box set is cheaper than the Limited Edition US version ($195 vs $US216) but doesn’t have the gift box […]

“Expectations were high for the series finale, which stayed true to the programme’s modern-cowboy ethos as well as the heady mixture of drama, comedy and tension that has always defined the dynamics among its key players … Even the abundance of praise heaped on the show in the run-up to the finale likely won’t be enough […]

SoHo will resurrect horror sensation Penny Dreadful within two days of its US premiere on Showtime and 12 hours ahead of Sky Atlantic in the UK. Season two of the origins mash-up of some of literature’s most famous frighteners will screen here 8.30 Tuesdays from May 5. According to the publicity, “Vanessa Ives and Ethan Chandler […]

An Arctic noir starring Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon and Christopher Eccleston is among SoHo’s sizzling summer attractions. Others include the sixth and final season of Justified, and new episodes of Banshee, The Americans and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. And on the eve of Game of Thrones’ fifth season launching in April, Sky will […]

A TV series that’s yet to be broadcast here leads the charge on Blu-ray. Vikings is exclusive to streaming service Lightbox but won’t ever look as good online as it does on disc. Shot in HD video by John S Bartley (Lost, The X-Files), “the colour palette has the slightly desaturated look often used for […]

Welcome to the Dallas Buyers Club on Blu-ray. The movie that won three Oscars, including best actor for Matthew McConaughey, was shot digitally using hand-held Arri Alexa cameras. “The transfer here is top-notch, but since the filmmakers used available/natural light for almost all of the scenes, some footage comes off as more warm/over-saturated than others.” “Detail […]

SoHo will screen the latest seasons of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex within a week of their US broadcasts. Last year three months elapsed between the former’s US and NZ premieres while a month separated the latter’s. Season two of Ray Donovan will screen here from July 16, three days after it goes to air […]

If you had great expectations for Mr. Pip on Blu-ray, you won’t be disappointed with its sensational transfer. Andrew Adamson’s adaptation of the Lloyd Jones novel is breathtaking to behold on disc in a Paramount/Transmission Films release that disappoints only with its cursory extras (interviews with the director and star Hugh Laurie). Everything else is […]