Return to THE KNICK

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'The Knick - The Complete Second Season' on Blogcritics.

I don’t have a high opinion of shows on Cinemax in general. I find them too bloody, too action-oriented, lacking character and plot depth. There is an exception to that rule, however, and that is the excellent drama The Knick, the second season of which will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 2nd (It is already available digitally).

The Knick is from the great Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, The Girlfriend Experience), and takes place at a New York City hospital known as The Knickerbocker, which actually existed, though the version in the show is fictionalized quite a bit. Set more than a century ago, the program follows Dr. John Thackery (Clive Owen, Children of Men), a genius of a man who struggles with a cocaine and opium addiction, and his co-workers at the facility. Far from the soapy drama of Grey’s Anatomy, the period drama is intense, engaging, and is a little bit informative about a bygone era, even though it is not, nor does it pretend to be, a true story.

Season two opens amid much strife. Those who watched the first year will recall (spoiler alert!) that The Knick itself has been shut down, Thackery hospitalized due to his substance abuse issue, and the hospital in dire financial straits, lacking backing from those with means who could keep its doors open. Contributing in no small part is the mismanagement of money by hospital manager Herman Barrow (Jeremy Bobb, The Wolf of Wall Street), who is indebted to the mob. Instead, a plan moves forward to construct a brand-new building uptown, and this in of itself allows for plenty of conflict, as greed and corruption enter into the proceedings.

The staff itself is undergoing no less an upheaval. An early front-runner to succeed Thackery is his temporary replacement, Dr. Algernon Edwards (Andre Holland, Selma, 1600 Penn), though his path is not without his challenges, not least of which includes the color of his skin. Of course, it is no surprise when Thackery returns, but is he in any shape to take his job back, or should it pass on to his assistant?

Amid this, there is plenty of suspense around abortions, retinal reattachment, eugenics, divorce, a subway explosion, conjoined twins, hypnotism, blackface, blackmail, and more.  You cannot say the ten hours contained in this set are boring. With a terrific ensemble cast that includes Eve Hewson (Bridge of Spies), Juliet Rylance (American Gothic), Eric Johnson (Rookie Blue), Michael Angarano (Will & Grace), Cara Seymour (An Education), and Chris Sullivan (The Normal Heart), there is always a lot going on, and pretty much all of it exciting, culminating in a heck of an ending to the year. I definitely recommend watching this series.

The Complete Second Season does an excellent job putting together a large batch of extras, too. I really liked the walking tour of the set, which reveals some of the hidden details of the wonderful designs, and the behind-the-scenes vignettes with the cast and crew. There is also a feature on the costumes, and a look at how the extravagant charity ball came together for episode seven. The medical procedures shown on screen are discussed more fully, there are recaps of each episode, “Knicktoids” facts, and three of the hours even have audio commentaries. All in all, the bonuses are worthy of the series, which is becoming more and more of a rarity in recent releases.

I liked The Knick right from the pilot. I’m glad to go along for the ride of season two, and I am very intrigued about the possibilities for the third outing, which has not yet been scheduled, the series taking a break as they plan the next two years of story. If its return is anything like what’s come so far, it’ll be worth the wait.

The Knick: The Complete Second Season will be available on disc on August 2nd, and is already available for pre-order on Amazon and other sites, as well as digitally.

Check In to THE KNICK

Article first published as THE KNICK Review on Seat42F.

The Knick | Andre Holland, Michael Angarano, Clive Owen, Eve Hewson, Eric Johnson | Credit Mary Cybulski/Cinemax

Cinemax finally has a series worth watching! Well, at least in this reviewer’s opinion. In the past, episodes I’ve screened of their shows were always heavy on action and violence and gore, but light on character development and story. This week, though, sees the premiere of THE KNICK, a period medical drama set in New York’s Knickerbocker Hospital at the turn of the previous century.

The lead character in THE KNICK is Dr. John W. Thackery (Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn). He’s very House M.D.-like in that he’s abrasive, brilliant, and has a serious drug addiction. Thackery learned to lean on the illegal substances from his mentor, Dr. Christenson (Matt Frewer, Orphan Black), and now realizes that it might not be a good idea to continue this habit as he takes over as head of surgery. Thankfully, his skills in treating patients haven’t suffered, but the self-medicating could be affecting his attitude.

The main difference between THE KNICK and House is that THE KNICK is not concerned with a mystery-of-the-week. It seems poised for a highly serialized plot, thankfully, that will deal with some depth among the players, as well as some of the issues of the age. Greed and bribery are running rampant, and race is a major factor in how the dynamic of the cast shapes up. These may be the go-to elements for that era, but they work well when told in an interesting, entertaining way, which THE KNICK does, surely thanks in no small part to its Oscar-winning director, Steven Soderbergh (Traffic).

THE KNICK is not boring, as some period dramas are wont to be. It does seem relatively authentic, for the most part. The costumes and set design are cool. There are some scenes that are more bloody than I’d prefer, a nod to the network it airs on, and the score is distracting at the start of the pilot, not quite in sync with what’s happening. However, these are minor gripes in the overall production, which I greatly enjoy.

Besides Owen and Frewer, both terrific performers, THE KNICK includes Andre Holland (1600 Penn) as Thackery’s new, forced-upon-him, African American deputy, Dr. Algernon Edwards, Eric Johnson (Flash Gordon) as the passed-over Dr. Gallinger, Michael Angarano (Will & Grace) as chipper Bertie, Juliet Rylance (Sinister) as overbearing benefactor Cornelia Robertson, Eve Erson (This Must Be the Place) as naïve nurse Lucy, Jeremy Bobb (The Wolf of Wall Street) as the beleaguered administrator, Chris Sullivan (The Normal Heart) as a jerk ambulance driver, Cara Seymour (An Education) as a closed-off nun, and David Fierro (Birman) as a sleazy health inspector. It’s a full, wide-ranging cast of characters, one sure to keep the story moving forward aplenty.

The writing is smart. Yes, some of the situations are fairly standard, but they’re handled in a rather clever way. For instance, the role Christenson plays in the series is interesting. Also, near the end of the pilot, there comes the moment when viewers know that Algernon must end up fully employed at The Knick, despite the obstacles that have plagued him so far. I thought I figured out what would happen, but the show dodges down a different path, showing its unpredictability.

1900 is an exciting year, with technological and medical revolutions galore. It’s the perfect place for a series like THE KNICK to unfold, adding something new to the television landscape, despite its similarities to a few different genres. Kudos to those who have crafted this beautiful show, and I look forward very much to seeing how it plays out.

Perhaps I’m not quite inspired enough to order Cinemax, which offers very few decent programs and pretty much the same slate of movies as HBO, but definitely enough to seek out all of the installments of THE KNICK wherever I can legitimately find them.

THE KNICK premieres this Friday at 10 p.m. ET on Cinemax.

Trust on Blu-ray

     Now out on Blu-ray from Millennium Entertainment is Trust, or trust_, as the cover says. It is the story of 14-year old Annie (Liana Liberato, The Last Sin Easter) who befriends her dream guy (Chris Henry Coffey, Downsized) online. They spend months chatting, and when Annie finally goes to meet the boy, she discovers he is actually about twenty years older than her. Going back to his hotel room with him, she gives him her virginity in a less than enthusiastic way. Her best friend relates the story to the authorities, and most of Trust is about the impact the events have on Annie and her family.

     Do not be fooled by the slow start. Yes, a significant portion of the beginning of the film is just Annie texting the guy, and seems trite. But if you stick with it, there are great performances later in the movie. Liberato does better than expected, capturing the nuance of mixed up teenage girl feelings, including love and anger. She makes it easy to relate to her desire for the sexual encounter to mean something, even as she realizes how wrong it is.

     Clive Owen (Duplicity, Closer) gets the meatiest role as Annie's father, who wants revenge on the man who took his daughter's innocence, and doesn't know how to be supportive of her. Many thoughts war within Clive, including a need to act out in a violent way, but his emotional moments are best. For fans growing weary of Owen's recent bad movies, this will help ease that pain. Catherine Keener (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Being John Malkovich) also gives a typically brilliant performance as Annie's mother, though she unfortunately gets less focus.

     Supporting the main players are Viola Davis (Doubt) as Annie's guidance counselor, who attempts to help Annie deal with her feelings, and Jason Clarke (The Chicago Code) as the federal agent assigned to the case. Both are very talented performers, and manage to convey that in limited parts.

     It may surprise you to learn that Trust is the directorial debut of Friends star David Schwimmer. He does a relatively capable job with this gripping story. As mentioned before, the beginning section of the movie, before the statutory rape, comes off as a cheesy movie about a melodramatic teen girl. But once events begin rolling along, Trust becomes a great film, with much credit to go to the director who sets the tone wonderfully.

     Picture and sound quality are fantastic. This release is in 16x9 2.35 anamorphic widescreen with 1080p high definition and Dolby True HD. Perhaps I've become immune to what sets a good Blu-ray release apart, as most television and movies are now viewed in HD, at least in my household. Trust looks and sounds fantastic - just like everything else in high definition. This movie has no big special effects, so it's hard to pinpoint some great examples. But must of the lighting and tone has a dark feel, especially after the rape, as is appropriate, and the blacks are rich. The picture is crystal clear, as is the sound. As far as technology goes, there should be nothing to complain about in this release.

     There are English SDH and Spanish subtitles included. The only special feature is a sixteen minute conversation with the people involved in the film, which does give some good insight into the process and the characters. I just wish there was more.

      Besides Blu-ray, which is the recommended format, Trust is also available on DVD and both standard and high definition download. Click here to buy Trust,

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Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Trust on Blogcritics.

The Ricky Gervais Show - "Clive Warren"

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

     This past Friday, season two of The Ricky Gervais Show premiered on HBO. Like each episode of season one, it was the wandering musings of three mean recorded for a podcast, and then animated. However, this episode had a more centralized conversation than most. The topic? A movie Karl Pilkington thought up.

     If you've never seen the show (or heard the podcast), you may not know who Karl Pilkington is. If this is the case, it is a very sad state you're in, that should be corrected immediately. Karl Pilkington is a man who does not think like you or I or most people. A truly unique individual, he seems to reside in a world all of his own.

     This week, Karl recounted how studio execs asked him for a movie idea. He said he came up with one off the top of his head, as your brain works best if you just start talking and see what comes out. His 'brilliant' pitch would star Clive Warren. Never heard of him? That's because he doesn't exist. Karl meant Clive Owen. The plot involved Clive dying, and then having half of his brain put into his wife's head, because 'that's what doctors are doin' nowadays'.

     Insane? Possibly. Genius? Equally likely. Not the movie idea, of course, but the comedy of it all. I doubt more than a handful of writers in the world could write this funny. Karl read something on the internet about brain transplants, which, of course, he assumed was fact, and ran with it. Also, the first thing he decided on for the movie was not the story, but the actors who would star. Of course, duh! That's how you sell movies any more, right?

     Karl's thoughts may be the musings of an unstable individual, but he doesn't seem dangerous. Just naive and amusing. You'll find yourself laughing out loud at the show. Luckily, Karl never seems offended when his co-hosts, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, do just that. They're not cruel; just fascinated with the man. And now I am, too.

     The first season of The Ricky Gervais Show is now available on DVD, and new episodes air Friday nights on HBO.

Article first published as DVD Review: The Ricky Gervais Show: The Complete First Season on Blogcritics.