Our firstborn, Thomas, came into the world in July, and, predictably, I have not been to the cinema since then. If I did go, I would probably fall asleep halfway through. But I’ve still seen some fine film and television this year. We signed up for Netflix to watch series 3 of House of Cards (good but not in my favourites list) and stayed with it for its convenience (the equivalent of a dozen paused DVDs at any time) and interesting range. It started with a well-chosen Australian selection, which I used as an education in some classics I’d missed; alas it hasn’t added many Australian titles since. I’ve reviewed a number of my favourite films, but none of the television series, so I’ll offer some comments on them.

Television

1. Fargo, season 2 (US/Canada, 2015; SBS) – each episode is a near-perfect short feature film. The crime trappings are just a mode of investigating existence. It’s intelligent, funny, absurd, sometimes brutal. And if you haven’t seen season 1, it stands on its own. But watch season 1.
2. Black Mirror (Brit, 2011-2013; Netflix) – these short films are extrapolations of our current culture, a couple of years into the future, and offer the most extraordinary critique of our lives today. It’s science fiction at its best.
3. Toast of London, season 1 (Brit, 2013; SBS) – I cannot convey how bizarre this show is as it follows Steven Toast, the world’s second finest high-winds actor, around his improbable career on stage and film. To give one taste: his arch-enemy exacts revenge on Toast by pretending to be a plastic surgeon and turning a friend of a friend into a Bruce Forsyth look-alike, just to annoy Toast. And you know what he finds funny? He’s not even very annoyed. This will be a cult hit for decades to come but season 2 is not as good.
4. The Americans, season 2 (US, 2014; DVD) – this is a small masterpiece of the drama and thriller genres, as deep undercover Soviet agents live out their suburban lives in the US of the early 1980s.
5. Utopia, season 2 (Australia, 2015; ABC) – this satire is so perceptive about how offices function and the groupthink / buzz-words / box ticking which drives too much decision-making in the public service and politics.

Film

1. Walkabout (Australia, 1971; Netflix)
2. Wake in Fright (Australia, 1971; Netflix)
3. Deep Water (Australia, 2012; ABC)
4. Compliance (US, 2012; SBS)
5. The Imitation Game (Brit, 2014; cinema)
6. Far from the Madding Crowd (Brit, 2015; cinema)
7. Wild (US, 2014; cinema)
8. Foxcatcher (US, 2015; cinema)

It was the year of long-form drama for me and Nicole. To watch a story unfold an hour at a time, night after night – such a bigger canvas than a feature film, and an after-work addiction.

1. The Returned (series 1) – I have never seen anything like this French supernatural drama. To watch it is to be trapped inside a beautifully eerie dream, as the dead begin to return to a village.

2. True Detective (series 1) – An existential crime series about two detectives on the trail of a southern gothic murderer across decades. Really, the crimes are secondary – this is about the meaning of life, as Rusty philosophises to Marty and an unlikely friendship develops.

3. Parade’s End (mini-series) – A dense and super-intelligent adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s novels, following a man of integrity through World War One, at war with a scheming wife and torn by his desire for a young suffragette. It is incredible.

4. House of Cards (series 1 and 2) – An excellent adaptation to the American context, with fascinating characters and enthralling political intrigue. I wrote about it here.

5. Fargo (series 1) – Fargo the TV series is better than the film. It is dark and funny and suspenseful, and Billy Bob Thornton’s character could be the most interesting killer I’ve seen on television.

Honourable mentions – Rectify (series 1); The Fall (series 1); and Boardwalk Empire (series 1).

What was your favourite?