For those after a Brit-fix, a new wave of compelling crime and drama shows is now available for the first time in New Zealand via streaming service Acorn TV from AMC Networks.

North America’s most popular streaming service for a largely British slate of television, the service now sees shows including Victoria, Line of Duty, Foyle’s War, Doc Martin, and award-winning comedy Detectorists S1-2 added to its repertoire, with further anticipated titles in October to include more seasons of Humans, The Politician’s Husband and Broadchurch.

Better still, the platform is offering a free trial to Kiwis, with monthly and annual subscriptions at $7.99 NZD and $79.99 NZD respectively.

Featuring “the most robust, reliable selection of European, British, Canadian and Australian shows” according to The New York Times, Acorn carefully curates a world-class library of captivating crime thrillers, addictive dramas and intriguing mysteries to offer Kiwi audiences instant access to their favourite British and international shows all in the one place for the first time.

Black Books on Acorn TV

Highlights include:

• The only place to find all seasons of beloved British police dramas George Gently and Foyle’s War;
• All three seasons of Irish detective drama Jack Taylor, starring Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen;
• The first two seasons of popular, long-running medical comedy drama Doc Martin starring Martin Clunes, with more seasons to be added in coming weeks;
• Record-breaking ratings hit and critically acclaimed series Line of Duty (Seasons 1-4), dubbed “king of the crime dramas” by The Telegraph UK;
• All series of British period drama The Bletchley Circle, featuring Line of Duty’s Anna Maxwell Martin and Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle
• Peabody and BAFTA Award-winning serial crime drama Broadchurch, starring Oscar-winner Olivia Colman and Doctor Who’s David Tennant, with Seasons 2 and 3 to be added in the coming weeks;
• Season One of critically acclaimed costume drama Victoria, starring The Cry and Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman with season 2 to be added in October 2019;
• Seasons 1-3 of 1950s detective drama Grantchester;
• Acorn Original Series Agatha Raisin, starring Ashley Jensen as the titular amateur sleuth;
• The first two seasons of beloved Australian drama Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries starring Essie Davis;
• Six-part crime series Partners in Crime, starring Little Britain’s David Walliams and Call the Midwife’s Jessica Raine, based on the Agatha Christie Tommy and Tuppence novels;
• BAFTA-winning comedy Detectorists starring The Office’s Mackenzie Crook and Captain America’s Toby Jones
• Season One of British sci-fi drama Humans, starring Crazy Rich Asians’ Gemma Chan (with season 2 to follow in October).

Kerensa Samanidis, GM for Acorn TV International, says, “We know Kiwis have strong ties to Britain – not just familial but also through their darker humour, obsession with the weather and fondness for a cup of tea in front of the telly.  We’re proud to launch a destination for lovers of quality British TV, and we’ve carefully curated a wide selection of award-winning and beloved British series for viewers to enjoy.

Father Ted on Acorn TV

“Our ambition is to be the go-to service for those who want to enjoy quality drama without having to search through endless choices for something to watch. Acorn TV is a truly unique entertainment service in the market, and we hope you love watching the shows as much as we do.”

New shows will be continually added to the lineup in the coming months, ensuring Acorn viewers are caught never short with great drama to catch up on.

Kiwis can access Acorn TV through a wide range of devices including IOS (iPad and iPhone), Android (phone and Tablet), Android TV, Chromecast or by visiting acorn.tv.

The post The Anglophile’s cup of tea appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Earlier this year, hotshot producer Danny Avila revealed a collaboration that nobody could have prepared themselves for. A team-up between himself, British group The Vamps and the one and only Machine Gun Kelly, Too Good To Be True achieved global success and reminded the dance world exactly why Danny Avila has come as far as he has. Now, Swedish DJ/production trio Brohug check in to give the track a kick of their own energy in a brand new remix for the summer.

The Vamps

A blend of Danny’s meticulous, upbeat production with The Vamps’ catchy vocals made Too Good To Be True the ultimate pop-dance track – perfect when you need an escape from reality. Globally renowned for their powerful, stomping dancefloor tracks, Brohug have branded their trademark sound on the dance music industry with lasting effect. Their remix of Too Good To Be True is commanding, yet madly addictive – one that’ll be resounding in clubs worldwide for months to come.

Spanish talent Danny Avila is currently making his way through one of his biggest years to date. Having signed an international deal with SONY Music Spain and subsequently throwing himself in to a very busy festival season, the highflying producer is clearly not slowing down any time soon.

Sitting at no. 52 in the Top 100 DJ’s of 2017 poll – DJ Mag’s highest re-entry of the year – Avila continues to prove himself in the ever-changing electronic landscape.

The post Too Good To Be True appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A live radio played orchestral performance starts off the dark humoured Death of Stalin.

A film based on actual events but takes a comedic look at the demise of the USSR’s Dictator, Joseph Stalin.

Hearing the orchestra, Stalin calls the radio studio and requests a copy of the track. Problem is, it wasn’t recorded. The radio producer then scurries about and manages to get the performers to redo the musical piece again so that he can record it.

But one of the performers is clearly not a Stalin fan and she needs to be bribed. After the performance of Mozart is redone and recorded on vinyl the reluctant pianist Maria Yudina (Olga Kurylenko) slips a note inside the records’ sleeve before it is delivered to Stalin.

As amusing as all of this is, it also shows how feared Stalin was and how the people of the Motherland would do anything to appease him in a nation where even the wrong glance at someone could see you being taken away and shot.

Stalin surrounded by his Ministers of his Central Committee who have had an evening of excessive drinking retires to his room. Receiving his record he decides to put it on to sleep to. Maria’s note falls out of the record slip. As Stalin begins to read the not so favourable note he falls to the floor as a major stroke takes hold.

It is not until the following morning that Stalin is discovered. NKVD head Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale), finds the Dictator on the floor of his bedroom soaked in his own urine. He also picks up Maria’s note.

Following him is Deputy General Secretary Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor) with the rest of the Committee in tow.

What plays out from here is a series of manipulation, double crossing and deception as a rush for power between members of the Central Committee takes hold.

Death of Stalin takes a very serious time for Russia and throws a comedic track to it. Cleverly written and enjoyable to watch it also gives an insight in to the inner workings and the bumbling of leadership in what was the Soviet Union at that time.

Directed by Armando Iannucci (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa) Death of Stalin is a must see film.

The post Death of Stalin (Madman Entertainment – 2017 / 2018) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

“You spend your whole life being someone else, who’s going to be you?”

Who doesn’t love a good old British coming of age drama every once and awhile? Although some might be put off by the ‘coming of age’ concept for being too overused or predictable, the budding friendship between two boarding school roommates in Handsome Devil manages to hold just enough spark to keep it audience entertained, even if it is only a small spark.

Teenagers Ned and Conor couldn’t be more different. With one whose life revolves around rugby and one that hates how much it dominates the all-boys boarding school, the two roommates start their acquaintance with a makeshift ‘Berlin Wall’ and the hope that they can spend as little time as possible together.

Narratives driven by friendship or have a focus on friendship is something I’m growing to enjoy more and more. Human connection formed over time rather than through automatic family relations is a rewarding aspect to focus on in a film. Saying this, Handsome Devil does soon pick up a predictable narrative, especially regarding the ‘journey’ the boys go through in the film and the decisions that they make.

The difficulty of macho male power in society is still dominant in the 21st century and explored in Handsome Devil. Ned and Conor’s school seems to care about nothing else but rugby and is filled with a power-hungry rugby coach and a pushy Father that takes his underage son and his rugby friends out for drinks. Themes such as ones around gender issues, sexuality or being different are also explored on a basic level in Handsome Devil too and without being preachy or overbearing.

With just enough spark to keep you interested, Handsome Devil has the potential to grow and that’s always a good thing. Unfortunately, though, this isn’t a television show but instead a film that only had an hour and a half to approximately two hours to get its ideas across.

The post Handsome Devil (Icon Films – 2016 / 2017) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.