The Oscars may have been announced last week, but there are still a few more award shows before we get to Hollywood’s Big Night—case in point, last night’s 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, held at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium and honoring the best acting in television and film over the past year. Check out the list of winners after the jump.
“Boardwalk Empire” closes its second season with a shocker that we honestly didn’t see coming. While the episode makes too obvious an effort to tie up certain loose ends, the power of the moments that did work makes up for any of the minor problems that made their way into the final episode of season two. Read our review to find out what we thought. . .
Sex, betrayal, murder. They are often the keys to any great gangster epic, and with a heaping dose of all of them mixed into this week’s episode of “Boardwalk Empire,” you can be sure that we were hooked. Thankfully, unlike a soap opera, which loses its appeal once we turn off the television and realize how ridiculous the story was, “Boardwalk Empire” only lets us admire it more when we sit back and think about what we just watched. Read our review to see why. . .
With its second season almost wrapped up, “Boardwalk Empire” is kicking it up a notch, delivering not only the solid performances and filmmaking that we’ve come to expect, but also a hefty dose of character-based drama and shocking twists which made last night’s episode one to talk about. It reminded us that all gangster epics are tragedies, in which the ones we love often pay for our sins.
“Boardwalk Empire” is television on a broad scale. Although the majority of the action takes place in Atlantic City, the true setting of the show isn’t a place, but a time in history. We’re fortunate that show’s writers are willing to venture outside of their comfort zone to capture that moment. This week’s episode takes us across the Atlantic to Ireland, and by doing so, illustrates something that even some historians forget to mention: Prohibition rippled throughout the world, even in countries in which alcohol was still frequently consumed.
Last week, ”Boardwalk Empire” left us with a serious cliffhanger wondering what would happen next. Sunday, the drama returned with a strong episode that showcased the nuanced writing and expert performances of everyone involved. In a show that sometimes struggles to keep all the characters and subplots in play, it was an impressively balanced episode.
Read our review to find out our thoughts. . .
We always knew that “Boardwalk Empire” would offer up its fair share of drama. What we didn’t know was just how much inner conflict and emotional betrayal would go into this show. It’s obviously aiming for a Godfather scale of emotional impact, with brothers against brothers and old comrades turning away from each other; it doesn’t quite hit the mark, but at least it keeps us glued to the seat. Check out our review of this week’s episode to get a sense of that drama. . .
“Boardwalk Empire” may not be HBO’s greatest foray into the gangster genre, but it succeeds by filling a niche that no other show does. It’s a period piece featuring remarkable talent across the board, with the best writers, directors and actors in the business contributing their best work. When it pays off, it does so magnificently. Read our review of last night’s episode to find out why. . .
“Boardwalk Empire” never did completely live up to its potential, but at the same time, it’s better than a lot of other shows we could be watching. True, it isn’t nearly as strong as the criminally overlooked “Treme,” but as always, the good shows get the attention, while the great ones get discovered after the fact.
Thankfully, every now and then, even the good shows can be great, and “Boardwalk Empire” may have been last night. Read our review to find out why. . .
