FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

courtjes The cigarette smoking is like one big commercial for Big Tobacco. Yes, supposedly its a "period piece" and people smoked. But come on, if the writers/director/actors got money from Big Tobacco then at least let the public know. That being said, the acting is terrific and the storyline outstanding. The time period is brought to life by the lighting, cinematography and props. We are binge watching it on Amazon and its much easier to follow the plot that way. The period between episodes and seasons is long when watched as it came out. HBO and Amazon do a great job with shows such as this while the networks flounder around. Overall, except for being in the clutches of the tobacco companies, I love this show.

eva-therese-701-10299 The cinematography of this movie is nothing short of amazing and deserves every award that was thrown at it. It does nothing short of bringing the bootleg gangster era back to life. The plot starts out tight and vibrating, but already in season two it begins to loose focus. It was like "wow, we've had two great seasons with this character, now what should we have him do?". And the finale was just disappointing. Nothing in it to make me angry like with Dexter, it just felt flat and meh. And it felt like it pretended to have led up to though all five seasons, rather than actually having planned it along, although I must say they did a very good job of that pretending. The strength of this show is that it understands that - in the words of Chuck Wendig - plot is made of people. What drives the story is people who want things and other people who want different things and some times they work together and other times they work against each other. And they try to be all cool and businesslike, but they also love and hate or maybe they just want revenge for some imagines slight. And sometimes coincidences happen, but only because they also happen in real life and it would be weird to have a whole show without them. In season three when the creators start looking for things to throw at Nucky to have him fight for his life and his position, they still throw people at him, characters with wants and needs and plans to get those fulfilled. New players who are fascinating to watch, even as it becomes slightly dull to watch Nucky himself always come out on top. To bad that so many of them in the end get treated like loose ends to be tied.

jeffreyhillen-364-945381 Boardwalk Empire REVIEWBoardwalk Empire is a period drama about America in the roaring 20's. The TV Show includes some characters based on real historical people and some fictional characters. When alcohol becomes illegal in 1920 it means the rise of many crime organizations in the USA. The story focuses on one particular character Enoch "Nucky" Thompson who is the treasurer of Atlantic City, but in effect controls the region ( Atlantic County , New Jersey) as a political boss. He leads a double life as a gangster. Nucky acts with historical characters in both his personal and political life including mobsters , politicians , government agents and the Common folk who look up to him. As I am researching Al Capone since 2012 I was very interested in this TV show and actually started to watch it not earlier than 2014. Very late , and that was mainly because of my fear that Al would be portrayed not the way I hoped it would be. In my opinion Al has to be portrayed as human and not a monster. Al loved his family – his son , his wife , his brother and sisters and his parents. He was a really family man but was also a gangsters who killed all his enemies and rose to power. Stephen Graham is fantastic as Al and I loved watching him play that part. I think Stephen Graham really shows how the real Al Capone was like ,without all the rumors and myths. I don't think there is one actor who could have played Al better than Stephen Graham. The whole casting did such an impressive job by getting to live the 1920's again. Their outstanding performance really helped to bring the audience to the 1920's and see this time realistically on screen. Their performances also helped to make the characters likable over the seasons. When the series comes to a close in season 5 you really develop a liking for the characters on the show , and that is all thanks to the great casting. I personally loved Steve Buscemi , Stephen Graham & Vincent Piazza the most. The script of the story was beautiful, you really see the characters develop and also the story itself. It is beautiful to watch as an audience. It is like the script is written in the 1920's because it is so realistic. You really get a good view on how things were going in those days. This TV Series I give a 9 out of 10.

ma-cortes Atlantic City, 1920, when alcohol was outlawed , outlaws became kings. There a politician plays both sides of the law, conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era . Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi) controls the monies coming into the city from its many legal enterprises, as well as an assortment of illegal ones , including the majority of the illicit alcohol that comes into Atlantic City's port and is distributed up the east coast and into Chicago . Nucky is one of the richest men in Atlantic City, where he lives with his lover , a former burlesque dancer , in the penthouse suite of the Ritz Carlton on the Boardwalk . His wife died young, leaving him childless and a strange attraction that has sprung up between himself and a married Irish immigrant (Kelly MacDonald) threatens more than just his domestic tranquility . As his bootlegging business takes off , Nucky finds himself hard pressed to keep control over the empire he has built and the ties he has forged along the way .This is a very good series about mobsters and with plenty of intrigue , drama , magnificent production design and over-the-top performances . The series was lavishly produced by great producers/directors such as Martin Scorsese , Mark Wahlberg and Timothy Van Patten ; being originally created by Terence Winter . The main cast gives a nice acting such as Steve Buscemi as corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County and its most powerful political figure and Kelly Macdonald as Margaret as an Irish immigrant who holds an abusive relationship with her husband , she is the mother of two children but soon becomes a widow and someone in whom Nucky Thompson, takes an interest . Other important roles are the followings : Michael Shannon as Nelson Van Alden , he is a senior agent in the Bureau of Prohibition Department , he is deeply religious has a dark side of his own, including lashing himself as punishment for misdeeds . Shea Whigham as "Eli" Thompson, he is the younger brother of Nucky Thompson, is the sheriff but is meant to do as his brother says, both because he has no choice and because Nucky helps provide care of Eli's wife and eight children , Eli quietly resents his brother's power and influence, sometimes daring to challenge his brother's authority . Gretchen Moll as Gillian Darmody , she is the mother of Jimmy Darmody, Michael Pitt , who she had at a very young age after being raped by The Commodore Louis Kaestner when she was 13 , then-Sheriff Nucky Thompson brought her to him , she raised Jimmy on her own , Gillian went on to become a burlesque dancer at the Cafe Beaux Arts and eventually would run a brothel , her relationship with and protectiveness of Jimmy borders on odd and disturbing and reaches one particularly uncomfortable moment before he goes off to fight in World War I . Michael Kenneth Williams as Chalky White , he is the leader and primary caretaker of the black population of Atlantic City , he is the Nucky Thompson of the black community . Jack Huston as Richard Harrow , he is a former Army sniper whose face was severely disfigured in World War I , he wears a mask attached to a pair of glasses that is designed to match his skin tone and cover up the fact that much of the left side of his face is torn.There is also a deep description about gangster fights though the narration is about his early years . As Lucky Luciano , Vincent Piazza , Lucky is one of the bosses of the Mafia and leader of Cosa Nostra , and soon became a chief in the Reina Family during the height of the Castellammarese War . Then takes place a Mafian War between Salvatore Maranzano, who eventually defeated the faction headed by rival Joseph Masseria . After Masseria's murder , this position was short-lived, as Maranzano himself was murdered in 1931 . Then , the family is headed by Charles "Lucky" Luciano , eventually known as the Genovese Family. He orders the slaughter of 40 other responsible , a famous massacre nicknamed Sicilian Vespers , therefore becoming the only boss . Meyer Lansky , nicely played by Anatol Yusef , was lifelong friends with Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Bugsy Siegel . Together, their involvement in and influence on the Italian American Mafia is historically notable . Beginning with the violent Bug and Meyer Prohibition mob, Lansky was completely authentic organized crime . Together with Luciano and Siegel began organized crime establishment of and involvement in Las Vegas gambling beginning with the Flamingo . And of course , Al Capone , magnetically played by Stephen Graham . Capone's rise in Chicago Gangdom is strongly carried out by means of violence and murder , subsequently took place his fall . Torrio accompanied to Capone are going to Chicago but he is called by his uncle Jim Colosimo . He's murdered and Torrio rules over as Chicago's crime boss , but during his violent confrontation to Dion O'Bannion he decided Capone managed the business . He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," and followed through killing corruption , extortion, and political fraud. Capone running his crime empire until FBI agents and police worked to send the crime boss to prison. Al Capone's been convicted of tax evasion, but the law states that he can only be confined to a regular jail cell