PREV IEW TV HEMLOCK GROVE Netflix from Fri 19 Apr
STAYING IN
Streaming site Netflix are moving into programme production. Kevin Spacey starred in David Fincher’s adaptation of House of Cards; the fourth season of Arrested Development will be a Netflix exclusive and horror auteur Eli Roth (Hostel/Cabin Fever) is making his first foray into TV with Hemlock Grove, adapted from Brian McGreevy’s grisly whodunit. ‘I read the novel and it really reminded me of some sort of monstrous Twin Peaks,’ explains an obviously excited Roth, who takes an executive producer credit and also directed several of the 13 episodes. ‘I liked the way that McGreevy went to the root mythology of every monster.’ ‘It takes all those gothic, folklore characters and rips them open which makes
them a lot more raw and real. That’s what really drew me to the project,’ adds actor Landon Liboiron who plays one of the leads alongside Bill Skarsgård and Famke Janssen. Impressed by what is possible in the medium following The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire, Roth sidestepped the usual TV networks. What appealed was the fact they could bypass the usual reliance on weekly broadcast dates and ad breaks, the entire series goes live on 19 April, effectively dumping an instant boxset into the viewer’s lap. ‘What was exciting was the idea that every episode comes on at once. You don’t have to worry about getting the audience back next week and making sure there’s a cliffhanger,’ says Roth. ‘Netflix is presenting this fantastic alternative to television and it does feel like there’s a sea-change now in the content that’s being made and the way it’s being digested.’ ‘The thing that I definitely didn’t miss about shooting for regular TV is that when you’re reading the script, you’re not ramping up for each commercial break; each episode flowed exactly the way it needed to into the next,’ says Liboiron. ‘It was very liberating to be able to treat the material almost like a very long play.’ (Henry Northmore) ■ For a full transcript of our interview with Eli Roth and Landon Liboiron see list.co.uk
STAYING IN REVIEWS DVDs, TV and podcasts to enjoy from the comfort of your sofa
DVD BOXSET SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED (Anchor Bay) ●●●●● PODCAST RISK! (risk-show.com) ●●●●●
DVD BILLY LIAR (Studio Canal) ●●●●●
The goriest, nudiest show on television, Spartacus is set in the world of Roman gladiatorial combat. Packed to the gunnels with blood, guts and sex, it would be easy to dismiss this show as crass and relentlessly macho. But the blood and boobs are so frequent you’ll soon become immune to the rampant carnage and underneath you’ll find a solid story of redemption and revenge.
This third series (fourth if you include prequel
Gods of the Arena) takes us beyond the coliseum as Spartacus (now played by Liam McIntyre after the sad and untimely death of Andy Whitfield) leads an army of slaves to strike at the very heart of the Roman Empire. Crassus (Simon Merrells) is the man tasked by the Roman Senate with bringing this rebel to ‘justice’.
Spartacus doesn’t attempt historical accuracy, but portrays a world where life and death balance on a knife edge and all disputes are settled in combat. This final season is more epic in scope and while it lacks the tight narrative structure of previous series, War of the Damned is a suitably violent end to Spartacus’ bloody quest for freedom. (Henry Northmore)
This fortnightly American podcast presented by Kevin Allison is ridiculously simple, with its mix of comedians, performers and members of the public sharing true stories. Grouped under themes such as ‘A Slippery Slope’ or ‘Perverse?’, it can sometimes be a little rough round the edges thanks to its use of ‘real people’. However, it’s that rawness and the genuine, unscripted reactions which makes RISK! so funny or touching. Initially, the podcast sounds as though it will merely
be a collection of amusing anecdotes but soon unveils incredibly personal stories. Most are pretty funny but you’ll be more amazed at how honest some people are, offering up stories that you’d imagine they keep hidden from close friends and family.
Admittedly, perhaps unsurprisingly, not every tale is a hit, and some guests just blether on but others are purely confessional and often incredibly heartfelt. Familiar names such as Greg Proops and Simon Amstell do crop up but it’s the public’s candid stories that will have you hooked. (Henry Northmore)
Not many classic films have also enjoyed success as a book, play, sitcom and musical. It’s testament to the timelessness of Keith Waterhouse’s source novel, about a 19-year-old lad who ‘can’t say two words to anybody without telling a lie’, that the story has resonated so widely since its 1959 publication.
John Schlesinger’s 1963 film is arguably the most famous incarnation, now restored to mark its 50th anniversary. Tom Courtenay is enthralling as Billy Fisher, clerk to an undertaker in a dull Yorkshire town and engaged to two girls while pining after another, taking refuge from daily drudgery in Walter Mitty-like fantasies.
While filmed in the cinema verité style typical of the 60s British New Wave, Schlesinger’s film has a warm and light touch that’s refreshingly out of step with the period’s humourless focus on misery. Courtenay and Julie Christie (as kooky, free-spirited Liz) embody the new style of swinging 60s anti-hero/heroine and there are also eye-catching supporting turns from British character actors Mona Washbourne, Leonard Rossiter and Finlay Currie. (Allan Radcliffe)
18 Apr–16 May 2013 THE LIST 33