Tag: Lionsgate+

The Serpent Queen (2022)

Where to find it: Lionsgate+ on Amazon Prime
Length: Eight 1-hour episodes
Synopsis: Catherine de Medici plays the Game of Thrones
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: historical, acting, writing, costumes, soapy
What I don’t like about it: cheesy and pointlessly edgy, bad music

Review:
Stealing a medieval setting and gratuitous sex from GoT, its humour and camerawork from Succession and the obligatory fourth-wall breaking of everything else made in the 21st century, this show should be a forgettable and cynical prestige drama but it’s annoyingly better than the sum of its parts and makes for soapy fun if you’re into this kind of thing. The writing occasionally elevates it and so does the acting, especially Samantha Morton’s quiet, commanding performance as Catherine. Not unmissable but not a complete waste of time.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): sex, violence and gore, incest

Tokyo Vice (2022)

Where to find it: Lionsgate+ (?) on Amazon, BBC iPlayer
Length: Eight 1-hour episodes
Synopsis: Engrossing American neon-noir set in Japan
Recommendation rating: 5/5

What I like about it: immersive, well-made, aesthetic, acting, opening titles
What I don’t like about it: requires a lot of attention, occasionally stretches credulity

Review:
Drenched in a nighttime neon-soaked atmosphere, this crime thriller series plays really well and may be the best new drama series of the year. Ansel Elgort plays Jake Adelstein, a dedicated weeb and cub reporter with a nose for news that doesn’t ingratiate him with his colleagues at the Meicho Shimbun (a fictional composite of Japan’s national newspapers) as he investigates organised crime during the lost decades. The show never misses a chance to feature the unique elements of Japanese culture such as yakuza rituals and hostess clubs, it’s a very interesting setting which makes up for any early weakness in plot. Elgort’s Japanese seems great and other cast members, including Rachel Keller and Ken Watanabe, are also excellent and compelling. Supposedly a true story, it’s clear that liberties have been taken with the truth but it makes for great drama if you don’t mind the fiction.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): violence, sex, lots of smoking