Spartacus

If one is able to look beyond the noise of its tumultuous production, Spartacus remains one of the finest epics to ever emerge from the Hollywood studio system.

While this episode’s title reminds us that great things are destined for Spartacus, “Great and Unfortunate Things” focuses more on the unfortunate things in the wake of Sura’s murder.

Daggers and deceit seem to run rampant in Spartacus, and not just in the Roman storylines.

…And while the series is not defined by any one ideal, the role of glory has certainly played a huge role thus far…

Spartacus fight in the pits of the underworld, where rabble clashes against itself in death bouts while spectators have the chance to make money off bets.

Though Spartacus claims interest in neither fame nor glory, “Legends” submerges him into the storied tradition of the gladiator he is being trained to become.

Following a pilot that enabled the world of Spartacus: Blood and Sand to come together, “Sacramentum Gladiatorum” is the beginning of a new life for the man now known as Spartacus. Even as he denies that identity, trying to say his true name out loud, Blood and Sand kicks him from behind and holds him down on his knees.

Our hero, who is given the name Spartacus by the episode’s end, knows little of this world yet. He hails from the land of Thrace and is thrust into the land of Spartacus through a series of great and unfortunate events.

Crime dramas and noirs predominantly made up the early part of Anthony Mann’s career, and epics and action/adventure films concluded it. But the Westerns he directed solidify his standing as one of the great, underrated figures of American cinema. Many films are evidence of his talent. Man of the West is just one, a very good one.

We reported a few months back that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell were in the early stages of developing an Evil Dead TV series and now Variety has given an update that the show is officially moving forward and will air on Starz in 2015. The show will be called Ash vs. Evil Dead. The show …

There are few auteurs as instantly recognizable and divisive as Stanley Kubrick, few filmmakers as idiosyncratic or groundbreaking. His work spans the entirety of life itself–sometimes in the same film–and has inspired almost as much derision as hosannas. There is no easy consensus on Kubrick’s films–though you may not be terribly surprised by our writers’ …

“Good-bye, my sweetheart. Hello, Vietnam.” — Johnny Wright “Is that you, John Wayne? Is this me?” – Private Joker in Full Metal Jacket Full Metal Jacket was Stanley Kubrick’s eleventh film (twelfth, if you count Spartacus) and his last to depict war and the military. Kubrick dealt with the military in Fear and Desire, Paths of …

10. The Good Wife (CBS) This year, The Good Wife did the unthinkable. Five seasons (and almost 100 episodes) in, it blew up the show. The original premise, that the publically shamed wife of a crooked politician begins her life anew at a former flame’s law firm, is gone, replaced by a baroque melodrama of …

The beginning of the year had a wealth of TV riches, a trend that continued through the spring. Here’s part two of Kate Kulzick, Simon Howell, Ricky D, and Randy Dankievitch’s list of 2013’s best TV episodes.

2013 is only halfway done, but there’s a fair chance that, in a television context, it might well be looked back upon as the year any and all accepted rules of “quality television” became utterly meaningless and the promise of great things arrived in all shapes and sizes, from all directions. Consider Netflix’s House of …

One of the more highly praised but little-seen shows of the past few years has been the swords-and-sandals epic Spartacus. The show came to a pre-planned end last week; however, television writing veteran and series creator Steven DeKnight is not resting on his laurels, already in the midst of negotiations with Starz, the channel on …

This coming Friday, Spartacus: War of the Damned ends its run on Starz, concluding the overall series run for good after only 39 episodes, a decision made deliberately by showrunner Steven S. DeKnight and company. The finale, “Victory,” will conclude a series that has overcome unbelievable obstacles only to become one of the greatest currently airing, and one of …

There is an ambition among the best of films – and the best of filmmakers – for the work to carry the same dramatic heft and dignity, be treated with the same respect and appreciation as a fine work of literature.  Think of the best works of Welles and Lean, of Kubrick and Coppola. Citizen Kane has …

He shared a bath with Laurence Olivier (Spartacus), a bed with Janet Leigh (the first of his six wives) and was one half of a flamboyant 70s crime-fighting duo with Roger Moore in The Persuaders. But despite his luxuriant locks and matinée idol looks, Tony Curtis, is best remembered for embracing his feminine side as …

A galaxy of intricate geometric patterns floating hypnotically towards you; a grid of horizontal grey lines stabbing across the screen; the figure of Robert De Niro falling through a sheet of flames that segues neatly into a series of dazzling neon backdrops. The opening credits from Vertigo, Psycho and Casino all bear the distinctive hallmark …