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THE BRIDGE - SEASON 3 Column: The Word on DVDs | Date Published: Wednesday, 8 June 16 | Author: Catherine Woods | 1 week, 6 days ago Like Be the first of your friends to like this.
[Madman]
The Bridge is a tried-and-tested series that has been reproduced (not-soauthentically) by the US and France. Introducing the troubled but deeply relatable Sara Noren in the first series, she is back for series three with a new partner. From episode one, the grisly and seemingly politically-motivated murder of a prominent LGBT advocate drives the narrative and plot. Gradually, as usual, personal stories intertwine. There’s the new detective’s membership at a horny singles club (which he gleefully tells his wife about each night), and the reappearance of Sara’s mother after 20 years. The scenes where Sara and her mother face each other and a lifetime of hurt, death and conflict are devastatingly real. It takes some time for the audience to engage with the pill-popping, singles-club hopping new detective, but his obvious desire to add Sara to his bedpost notches creates an interesting drama in itself. Who IS this creepy guy and what on earth is behind his bizarre behaviour? The Bridge has the slightly washed out, blue-and-grey based hues of most Nordic crime series, but is no less dramatic, brutal and beautiful for it. In fact, it probably established much of the look and standard of intelligent crime drama that has followed. Sara is a heroine without being at all heroic – as all flawed and lovable detectives are. She inspired the character played by Diane Kruger in the US series, which did an admirable job of recreating the series but couldn’t meet the genuine class of the original. As a crime drama, beyond any of the personal conflict and character back-stories, it is top notch. The red herrings are many and yet, strategic and interesting. The police, witnesses and victims are all fascinating – no character is merely a cliché or an after-thought. This is smart, engaging crime drama for those who are allergic to grisly, in-your-face grit and misery like churned-out sewerage CSI and SVU. CAT WOODS
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Deadpool: [20th Century Fox]
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In a saturated market for comic book/superhero film adaptations, Deadpool stands out. Financially, it’s one of the highest grossing R-rated films of all time. But why? The plot is pretty standard, origin story, boiler plate stuff; medical experiment goes wrong, man gets Be the first ofsuperpowers, man seeks revenge. It hits all the beats you’d expect and doesn’t rearrange or further them in any dramatic fashion. Action sequences are well choreographed and there are plenty of quips. Indeed, almost every line of dialogue is structured around a wisecrack. So far, so standard. What this film has in spades – something so lacking in these adaptations – is heart and commitment. Something no impressive looking, city-destroying set piece can ever really achieve. Ryan Reynolds fought hard for many years to get this film made and it shows. He believed in Deadpool, spearheading the campaign to get studio support and leading an incredible viral marketing campaign; he sold the film the way the film was made – irreverent and fully in character. He appeared in the Honest Movie Trailer clip as Deadpool, mocking Deadpool. He consistently breaks the ‘fourth wall’ – faithful to its origin but a cheap gag that fails in less assured hands. Commitment is the only way to pull this sort of meta off. And it’s also
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