TV picks of the week
Memoirs of a Geisha this ain’t. Fans of Korean director Park Chan Wook will have some idea of what to expect from this unlikely 2016 adaptation of Sarah Waters’ 2002 novel Fingersmith. From Old Boy to Lady Vengeance and Stoker, Wook has created bloodsoaked and sensual tales of revenge that boast imagery that sears into your memory. If the plot is filled with salacious moments and head- spinning changes in direction, then the true delights of The Handmaiden are in the details. Just 14 months after it aired in the United Kingdom, Sky finally gets around to showing the final Mel, Sue and Mary season of this much-loved reality cooking competition. First up, the 12 new amateur bakers take on cake week. The popular Australasian drama returns for a third season, which will see the town mounting a search-and-rescue operation, the arrival of twins bringing more than just paternity complications, and George (Erik Thomson) facing a moral dilemma. ’’There’s still a sense of playfulness, but it’s evenly balanced with the more weighty plotlines and George’s whimsical, thought-aloud 800-word columns that bookend each episode,’’ wrote the Sydney Morning Herald‘ s Bridget McManus. Picking up 10 years after the beloved animated-adventure series ended, Scrooge McDuck has hung up his adventure hat. However, when a last-minute emergency forces Donald to leave Huey, Dewey and Louie with their Great Uncle, the boys see a golden opportunity to open adventure’s door. Features the voice of David Tennant as Scrooge. While the political machinations of this 2016 drama intrigue, it’s the central love story of Amma Asante’s drama that compels. That’s thanks largely to two magnificent performances from Rosamund Pike ( Gone Girl) and David Oyelowo ( Selma). The pair’s chemistry is palpable, while their characters’ individual strengths and weaknesses are apparent. Elegant, intelligent, evocative and emotion-inducing cinema.– James Croot