STACK #121 Nov 2015

DVD&BD

REVIEWS

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A clash of kings. VIKINGS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON

Pirate nation. BLACK SAILS: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

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Release Date: 05/11/14

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Release Date: 26/11/14

TV

There's lots to love about Vikings . Less complex than Game of Thrones but just as thrilling and addictive, this History Channel series could be viewed as a Nordic version of Sons of Anarchy . Hero Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) possesses the same physical attributes, commitment to clan and ruthlessness as Jax Teller. There are bloody battles and deals brokered with rivals, and indomitable female characters you simply can't help but adore. Season Two sees Ragnar and King Horik clash with Jarl Borg and Ragnar's

When it comes to buccaneers and their exploits on the high seas, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is the family-friendly version. Black Sails , a new pirate series from Starz (who gave us Spartacus ) offers a gritty, R-rated alternative. Set 20 years prior to the events detailed in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island , the show follows notorious pirate Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) – who makes Jack Sparrow look like a wimp – in his pursuit of a treasure-laden Spanish

turncoat brother Rollo, while over in Wessex, former priest Athelstan is torn between his allegiance to Ragnar and the opportunity of a lifetime offered by King Ecbert. And then there's that spooky old blind seer, whose prophecies inevitably come to pass.

galleon; and ruthless trader Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New), who fences the pirates' plunder. Amongst Flint's crew is young John Silver (played by Aussie Luke Arnold), whom we know, sooner or later, won't have a leg to stand on. • See page 74

Last drinks. MAD MEN: THE FINAL SEASON, PART 1

Minnesota madness. FARGO: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Release Date: 06/11/14

Release Date: 12/11/14

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Mad Men enters its seventh and final season, and like Breaking Bad , AMC have split the last series into two parts – the second of which will air next year. So it's not all over just yet, thank goodness. The seventies' are looming as Don Draper (Jon Hamm) heads down the road to redemption after hitting rock bottom last season. Don has always been the heart of the show, if not the moral compass, and fittingly he's the focus of these first seven episodes. But will he return to the fold or

Fears that this TV adaptation of the Coen Brothers film favourite might be a bad idea were quickly nixed by resounding approval from critics and viewers alike. Don't compare this to the Coens' film; think of it as an alternate universe version of the same story. Unlike fellow film-turned-series From Dusk Till Dawn , Fargo eschews the need to recap the events of the movie; it's set in a snowbound Minnesota milieu, shares similar characters and themes, and boasts the same blackly comic approach, but is content to do its

wind up working for a rival agency? His fate rests in the hands of the irrepressible Roger Sterling (John Slattery). Expect further mergers, a moon landing, a killer pitch from Peggy, a surreal song and dance routine, and a death. The fat lady is just warming up...

own thing. In this iteration, Martin Freeman is the wimpy insurance salesman who enlists the services of hitman Billy Bob Thornton to take out a longtime nemesis, creating a domino effect of criminal hijinks to keep local cops Allison Tolman and Bob Odenkirk busy. A must-see.

NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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