IL MIRACOLO (2018 – )

Creator: Niccolò Ammaniti

Cast: Guido Caprino, Elena Lietti, Lorenza Indovina

English title: The miracle

During the incursion in a mob boss’ hideout the police finds out a statue of the virgin Mary weeping Blood. A team of scientific investigate in secret. General Votta (Sergio Albelli) calls then the prime minister Fabrizio Pietromarchi (Guido Caprino) who is in a middle of a crisis in public and in his private life. If this gets out what will happen? Are people going to go nuts about this?

Ok then here is a subject that is not talk about too much but here Ammaniti created an environment of faith and the miracle. It is a question of your faith here and do you believe in miracle? Political men, priest, criminal all sort of people are going to know the existence of this statue. A priest who seeks hooker to relieve himself plus gamble among other sins is call by the prime minister to see what he makes of it but he can’t tell nobody. the second story is the one with the prime minister and his family with the weird babysitter and his wife and kids where they are having some kind of crisis. The third story is about this boy who has autism comes back with a dead girl who is his friend but everyone thinks he killed her but do not have no proof. The 4th story is the dying mother of this woman who works with the scientific group on why the statue weeps blood 9 liters per hour. It is the lives of those people in the space of 8 days in 8 episodes. A terrific series which is going to question your faith with some complex character.

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COUNTERPART (2017 – )

Creator: Justin Marks

Cast: J.K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd  

Howard Silk, a modest employee, discovers in spite of himself that the agency for which he works is only a facade. When the existence of a portal, leading to a parallel dimension, with another version of itself, is revealed to him, a new and dangerous world opens up to him. He still does not know how much his life will be turned upside down…

Here is a series that is worth looking at. Counterpart here is a mystery / Thriller / espionage And a cold war fell to it. Of course there is the cat and the mouse game no surprise there and danger at every corner and the fact that the characters does not know who to trust. It has a sci-fi feel to it that makes it a little jewel of a series. You will be hooked as soon as you see the first episode. It is interesting because you will see two world different from each other. And what is their supposedly double are doing on the other side? .K. Simmons (Whiplash, Spiderman) is brilliant in both version and so is the ensemble cast. It is taking place in Berlin but I don’t know if it is shot really there. PLus the actors plays a different role in a different setting, it is nice to see how talented they are. Counterpart is an Original idea that works well and intelligently written. Trust me you will not be disappointed in the climatic season finale nor the second season.

1983 (2018 – )

Creator: Joshua Long

Cast:Robert Wieckiewicz, Maciej Musial, Michalina Olszanska

Decades after a 1983 terrorist attack, a law student and a cop uncover a conspiracy.

In 1983 Warsaw, a man is beating another man who is in the Solidarity resistance movement in Poland. He goes outside after leaving the man halfway dead. He sees a medical transport van, notices the dripping paint on it, then is killed in a massive explosion. And here is are opening shot on this perfectly writing Polish series, in a Neo-Noir fashion. Then it is 2003 on our next shot the movement was derailed by these terrorist attacks and now Poland is  under a Soviet-backed regime, where protest is punished severely.

Anatol Janow (Robert Więckiewicz) is a police detective who used to work on high-profile cases, but has been demoted to this division that he is in.  He’s called to the apartment of a known resistance operative, who looks like he killed himself his partners called it a suicide but Janow know better than that someone has killed this man to look like a suicide. The second part of the story is this law student Kajetan Skowron (Maciej Musiał), whose parents died in the 1983 attacks, is given a case file by a judge, the murder of someone the judge knew before the attacks. Somehow Skowron meets Janow who looks into the dossier and uncovers a conspiracy that the government wants to shut down.

This well writing series feels like an espionage as we meet the some of the people of the resistance. The set design is feels like a Neo-noir film , reflecting the idea of an Eastern European dictatorship. It is an unexpected jewel from Netflix with complex characters and the story is intelligently told but I think that most people will overlook this one my advice do not miss it.

CONDOR (2018 -)

Creators Todd Katzberg, Ken Robinson, Jason Smilovic

Cast: Max Irons, William Hurt, Leem Lubany 

Joe Turner a CIA coding analyst while outside with one of his co-worker taking a break gets an inch of his life by almost getting killed at the office. All his co-workers are dead and his has to outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.

Ok the series is based on the film Three days of the condor. But it is on today’s turf with the computers and cell phone well you get the point. Joe has created a computer program that helps identify terrorists prior to them committing violent acts. When his station is attacked Joe who is the only survivor will have to find out while on the run who is responsible and who he can trust. Maybe his program was used for something else something evil. Brendan Fraser who have not seen him for years here has returned in this series and what a great role he has. Also you will find a terrific cast like William Hurt, Bob Balaban and Mira Sorvino. But the thing is who is lying and who is not, who to trust. Yes there are twists and turn which it be expected. It is a bit formulaic and stylish but it works here for now. It can be addictive but there are a bunch of spy thriller Australian series and polish series that are on Netflix also. It looks like the network are going this direction.

THE FOREST (2017)

Creator: Delinda Jacobs

Cast: Samuel Labarthe, Suzanne Clément, Alexia Barlier

Sixteen-year-old Jennifer disappears one night from her village in the Ardennes. Captain Gaspard Deker leads the investigation with police officer Virginie Musso, who knew the girl well. They are helped by Eve, a lonely and mysterious woman.

The Forest is a mystery revolving around the disappearance of 16-year-old girl Jennifer. As the series develops which the plot tension is going to be tense , The Forest evolves from a detective mystery with family drama as secrets close to home are revealed. Girls has been disappearing years earlier and they think that the perpetrator is at it again.  Here is a French production on Netflix . Alexia Barlier who plays Eve portrays the kind of character that is tough and courageous as has a soft spot. It is at a pace of a thriller this series and the writers made sure to build up the tension until the end. And who is this mysterious woman who wants to help. The atmosphere is misty with some beautiful shot of the forest. Only 6 episodes for this mini series.

DAMNATION (2017- )

Creator: Tony Tost

Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Killian Scott, Sarah Jones

During the Great Depression, a stranger with a violent past is a pastor and pushes farmers to strike in an Iowa campaign.

Damnation’ focuses on some historical events in the United States during the decade of the 1930s. The industrial revolution is at its highest peak, but when the 1930 arrived and the depression sets in it is all going to hell. Of course greed will set in and violence will rise, people pout of jobs does not fly to well with them. Everyone survives their own way. Sam Davenport, a preacher, is in this town where chaos is going to reign. He is trying to find a medium between the banks their customers and the farmers, you see the banks exploit them. The writers here has told the story like supposedly it was back in the 30’s of what they can recollect. Also The farmers are striking because the price-fixing makes it impossible for them to pay back the loans on their homes, allowing the bank to profit on their foreclosures. Amelia (Sarah Jones) here is to believe is the wife of the preacher and a tough one at that at least she can handle her own and guns, well she can shoot. Steth here has a past we know that because of some flashback and his wife is wondering about it. Of course you have the sheriff Creeley Turner (Logan Marshall-Green) who is going to great length to satisfy his employer’s demand.  The drama is well crafted here and it is holding but USA did get the rating that they wanted and I have heard that they canceled the series but Netflix might pick it up. I hope so.

THE INNØCENTS (2018 – )

Creators: Hania Elkington, Simon Duric

Cast: Sorcha Groundsell, Percelle Ascott, Guy Pearce 

When two teenagers, Harry and June, flee their families to be together, their escape is hindered by an extraordinary discovery – June’s ability to metamorphose. As the young couple struggle to control this strange and new power, a mysterious teacher reveals that June is not alone: many people are capable of shape-shifting like her, and he promises help her control it and to reunite her with her mother who has deserted for 3 years. As the adventure begins thinks are getting complicated.

June (Sorcha Groundsell) and Harry (Percelle Ascott). June’s father is planning to move her far out-of-town on her 16^th birthday. June’s dad may have had a very specific reason to get June far from civilization when she turned 16 because, well, June’s got some kind of power. The couple will discover it when a strange man wants to kidnap her but the couple seems to get away with one little problem: June can shapeshift, taking the form of someone nearby while that person’s body is incapacitated in something that resembles a coma. The couple will try to find out what is going on here but in the mix they are trying to figure out why this man wants to kidnap June. Meanwhile, in a remote commune at which June’s mother Elena (Laura Birn) is one of the residents. It’s run by the mysterious Halvorson (Guy Pearce) and Sigrid (Lise Risom Olsen). What is June’s mother is doing there? Well you are going to find to have to watch the series. The subtext here is simple kids sometimes does not know who they really are and kids do run away from home. Not too bad for a series but it is a bit predictable here. Did it do well on Netflix I assume so it is targeted to a younger audience but some adult will like it as well. The storytelling is fine but it is missing something. I hope season 2 will be better.