pathfinder TV

The Wire

The Wire……ish runs deep……

Hands down one of the best TV dramas out there. Although for some, the black gangster life and culture will not appeal, and they won’t be able to tune in and get the show, but for the people that are willing to see past that, it’s a hell of a ride. The characters are so real, and the stories that circle around them complex, the developments that these people go through and change make sense, great drama is all about conflict and emotional impact and this TV show has it in spades.

There are 5 seasons of the Wire. But if nothing else, sit your butt down and commit to watch Season 1.

Now a few things if you’re going to watch The Wire. You need to pay attention, like really pay attention, don’t waste your time and lessen the impact and enjoyment of a great show like this by messing about on your smart phone checking Facebook or whats app!

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Or I’ll be sending Snoop your way. (Snoop is pictured above) Doesn’t look all that right……..well, if you watch it, you’ll know!

The plot is complex and comes with a lot of slang in the dialogue, there’s also intricacies which you’ll appreciate if you really get into watching the show. Otherwise, you’re be a few episodes down and turn into that annoying muppet that goes “er what’s happening??”

In addition, the cast is huge! In Season 1 alone they introduce close to 20 characters that are important and have a story to tell or will later become important, so again don’t be that muppet that does “er, who’s he or who’s she?”

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The pacing is a little slow to start with but if you commit, then you shall be rewarded!!

Personally, I liked the seasons in The Wire in this order:

1,4,5,3,2.

This is down to the characters and the story line that the characters that I enjoy watching the most. You may feel differently, as other people have commented to me that they love Season 2.

Finally, how many TV shows have you watched that you really enjoyed only to be let down by an ending that couldn’t compare to how good it was during the beginning and the middle. I personally give a gold plated Jim’s Review guarantee that if you watch the Wire from start to finish, you would not walk away feeling like a mug.

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Jim gives The Wire a dazzling 9/10.

The knock is the theme of the show, some people will automatically be turned off by the fact that it’s a gritty, cop vs gangster drama, but when you really watch it, it’s a lot more than that. It’s life in Baltimore.

pathfinder Movies

The Man From Nowhere

This Korean action movie has been out a while now, but in my opinion it’s still hands down one of the best fighting movies out there.

Wong Bin is ridiculously good considering he has never before played an action hero before.

The story line was great, pacing was fast and never sagged at any point.

Sure, the villains were a little exaggerated, but all the more enjoyable when their asses get kicked.

If you like fighting, slick choreography and some proper violence. You can’t go wrong with this movie.

This movie gave me the feels, so it’s a movie that both delivers from an emotional point of view as well as kick ass action. It struck a real chord with me as a parent. I personally think it’s rare for a semi-martial arts flick to be able to connect to the view emotionally and also awe on the fights, and how cool slash bad bass the main character is!!!!

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This was on Netflix, but it’s been withdrawn now, so you’ll have to buy it from Amazon or eBay. Which is a real shame, as Netflix had it on HD quality, buying on ebay or Amazon, means it’s mostly DVD availability, with the blu rays on US import region.

Jim gives The Man From Nowhere a staggering 9/10.

Announcement! I do make some commission from Amazon if you click on it. But it’s tiny really, what I would really appreciate, is if you do watch it, to comment back on the post and let me know what you thought of the movie!

pathfinder Movies, Netflix, TV

The Last Kingdom Season 1

My name is Utred, I am the son of Utred……and so begins an absolute barnstorming of a action drama. The Last Kingdom Season 1 is the best all of the Last Kingdom seasons so far. (There are three.)

All the actors and actresses were to me relatively unknowns. Indeed they hailed from around Europe and UK as opposed to any big names from US, however the acting was superb. I was most impressed with the three leads in Alfred (David Dawson)

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Brida (Emily Cox)

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and of course the leading man Utred (Alexander Dreymon)

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All three were so different in their character but more importantly believable! A testament to their acting chops. The supporting cast were brilliant, I personally found none of them lacking, as sometimes you can have a weak link or two dragging everyone down.

What I loved about the Last Kingdom Season 1 was the way it was directed and shot. There was such richness in the scenes, and by that I mean the world it was set into. The background wasn’t just a house with a few props thrown in. It was filled with people, movement and sound. For example, there was a scene where Utred (the child) was in Ragnar’s home, Ubba and his host of the Danes were up to all sorts of shenanigans! The sounds, the screams, people moving in and out of shot. It made it real…….

I need to give it extra marks for the music and the excellent use of silence (for dramatic effect) along with fantastic dialogue means this is the best Last Kingdom Season so far.

I have to doff my cap to BBC for Season 1, truly a memorable experience.

The entire creative team for Season 1 created something special.

Jim gives the Last Kingdom Season 1 – 8.5/10

*The only knock being the lack of a bigger budget ala Game of Thrones, but to be honest that is me being a bit harsh and a tad unrealistic – no pilot show would have a huge budget like Game of Thrones to be honest.