Box set of the week: Masters of Sex
Masters of Sex is currently available to watch for free on Channel 4's on-demand service, 4OD. There are also a limited number of episodes available on RTE Player.
This is one of the best new series of the Autumn season. Following in the footsteps of the popularity of period pieces such as Mad Men and The Hour on the BBC, Masters of Sex is set in 1950's America as a successful gynecologist, Dr. William Masters embarks on his pioneering study of human sexuality.
His unlikely partner in crime is A pretty young mother of two, Virginia Johnson who is initially intrigued by her boss's study and then becomes fully enveloped in the research.
This show could have been an exercise in soft porn but, in fact, it turns out to be an excellently written portrait of how society began to open itself up to the exploration of sexuality and what it means for each individual.
The period detail is exquisite, as it was in Mad Men. The acting is also superb with terrific turns by Michael Sheen as the Doctor and Lizzie Caplan, best known for New Girl, also carrying her pert very well indeed.
What is interesting about the show, and indeed what holds the narrative together, is the complexity of Masters' character. He is not immediately likeable. He is thoroughly ambitious and rather cold. What we learn as the series develops is that he has been harboring a difficult burden relating to his own sexuality which creates layers of interest in the programme, especially in relation to his wife Libby, played by Caitlin Fitzgerald.
Recommended.
Keepin it Reel: Movie News
- The Wolf of Wall Street & Charlie Countryman Debacle:
Both upcoming movies, Charlie Countryman and The Wolf of Wall Street have trimmed their sex scenes considerably in an attempt to get a lower censorship rating. Actress and star of Charlie Countryman, Evan Rachel Wood, has vented her anger at the MPAA who dispense the ratings for American releases. She believes that their is a hypocrys at play with the MPAA. A scene in her film in which a woman is receiving oral sex was cut yet the scenes of people getting their heads blown off remained intact. She believes that the MPAA would not have cut the sex scene if the oral sex was being given to the man. This raises interesting questions about the ways in which our rating boards censor the films we watch.
- Spike Jonze's 'Her':
Spike Jonze's feature, Her, stars Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely man who becomes enamored with his new computer operating system who is voiced by Scarlett Johannssen. This film, from the director of Being John Malkovich, is hotly anticipated. It has also caused some controversy as Johannssen has been designated as ineligible for the Golden Globe awards, even though she is the lead actress in the movie. The reason is because she is disembodied: she never appears on the screen. All her acting is done with her voice. This raises difficult questions about what acting is...Does this mean that an animated character could not win an award?
Masters of Sex is currently available to watch for free on Channel 4's on-demand service, 4OD. There are also a limited number of episodes available on RTE Player.
This is one of the best new series of the Autumn season. Following in the footsteps of the popularity of period pieces such as Mad Men and The Hour on the BBC, Masters of Sex is set in 1950's America as a successful gynecologist, Dr. William Masters embarks on his pioneering study of human sexuality.
His unlikely partner in crime is A pretty young mother of two, Virginia Johnson who is initially intrigued by her boss's study and then becomes fully enveloped in the research.
This show could have been an exercise in soft porn but, in fact, it turns out to be an excellently written portrait of how society began to open itself up to the exploration of sexuality and what it means for each individual.
The period detail is exquisite, as it was in Mad Men. The acting is also superb with terrific turns by Michael Sheen as the Doctor and Lizzie Caplan, best known for New Girl, also carrying her pert very well indeed.
What is interesting about the show, and indeed what holds the narrative together, is the complexity of Masters' character. He is not immediately likeable. He is thoroughly ambitious and rather cold. What we learn as the series develops is that he has been harboring a difficult burden relating to his own sexuality which creates layers of interest in the programme, especially in relation to his wife Libby, played by Caitlin Fitzgerald.
Recommended.
Keepin it Reel: Movie News
- The Wolf of Wall Street & Charlie Countryman Debacle:
Both upcoming movies, Charlie Countryman and The Wolf of Wall Street have trimmed their sex scenes considerably in an attempt to get a lower censorship rating. Actress and star of Charlie Countryman, Evan Rachel Wood, has vented her anger at the MPAA who dispense the ratings for American releases. She believes that their is a hypocrys at play with the MPAA. A scene in her film in which a woman is receiving oral sex was cut yet the scenes of people getting their heads blown off remained intact. She believes that the MPAA would not have cut the sex scene if the oral sex was being given to the man. This raises interesting questions about the ways in which our rating boards censor the films we watch.
- Spike Jonze's 'Her':
Spike Jonze's feature, Her, stars Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely man who becomes enamored with his new computer operating system who is voiced by Scarlett Johannssen. This film, from the director of Being John Malkovich, is hotly anticipated. It has also caused some controversy as Johannssen has been designated as ineligible for the Golden Globe awards, even though she is the lead actress in the movie. The reason is because she is disembodied: she never appears on the screen. All her acting is done with her voice. This raises difficult questions about what acting is...Does this mean that an animated character could not win an award?
No comments:
Post a Comment