Sunday Corner With Lee Liberman: MANK writes Citizen Kane

 This post is written by our monthly correspondent, Lee Liberman

To report on director David Fincher’s MANK, a star turn for actor Gary Oldman and streaming now on Netflix, one needs throw bouquets at Mank’s opus, Citizen Kane, directed and starring Orson Welles, for which the witty, erudite Herman Mankiewicz, Mank, is hired to produce a script. Mank is the anecdotal tale of its writing, set against the machinations of the moguls that harnessed Hollywood in the 1930’s and rode it like outlaws. Although who wrote what is still disputed, it is thought that Mank laid out structure and detail while Welles infused the magic that has led to Citizen Kane’s reputation as one of the best films ever made. Both men (below) got Oscars for best original screenplay, its only win. Citizen Kane’s repute has grown since. 

We find our anti-hero laid up at a secluded desert ranch with a broken leg, waited on by a nurse and a secretary, the latter played by Lily Collins (below, l). Mank was in the middle of the movie food chain —a Hollywood transplant, jaded New York critic and playwright who wrote to his NY writer cohorts: “Come at once. There are millions to be made and your only competition are idiots”. 

What Mank lacks in a story arc is filled to the brim with an insider’s view of Hollywood’s studio renowned and other notables, particularly William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) and Hearst’s Betty Boop (Amanda Seyfried) — who is getting awards buzz for her Marion Davies, played with warm intelligence. (Below, from l, Seyfried, Oldman, and Dance).

Citizen Kane is a 1941 vision in black and white that excoriates news mogul Hearst and the American Dream as Hearst exploited it — Rupert Murdoch’s tabloidy mantle now. (Citizen Kane streams on HBO Max thru 12/31, but is available for rent/sale on Prime, elsewhere.) The two films are intertwined — ‘Kane’ is worth a watch/re-watch, there’s not much about it in Mank, yet the texture of it infuses the entirety. Mank is a 2020 vision in black and white of Citizen Kane (below). 

Mank’s essence is the rich vs poor story of the flamboyant, depression era heyday of MGM’s Louis B Mayer and notables like Irving Thalberg, David O Selznick, S.J. Perelman and Joe Mankiewicz, all of whom and more appear here. Mank is the outsider, the joker who stumbles around drunk with writing skills and bon mots that have kept him in demand in the writers' room and in social company. 

Mank himself, a garrulous, overweight idealist, produces the original draft of the rise and fall of news magnate Charles Foster Kane for director Welles; it disparages the living Hearst and his castle of excess San Simeon — “Our little hillside home”. Mank “shimmers with knowing artificiality”, says A.O.Scott in The New York Times, as “the low motives and compromised ideals are articles of faith...in the annals of Hollywood self-obsession”. 

Mank himself is between a rock and a hard place: his own liberalism vs the oligarchic industry that employs him. Sympathetic to the exploitation of the have nots, he manages both to pal around with Hearst and use his words to throw Hearst under the bus. Citizen Kane becomes Mank’s mea culpa for having been a Hearst hanger on and court jester, damning both Hearst and tinseltown as oligarch. Says younger brother, Joe Mankiewicz (Tom Pelphrey): “I hear you’re hunting dangerous game; word...is...golden boy [Welles] wants to go toe-to-toe with Willie Hearst, and you’re helping in the kitchen” (below, brother Joe). 

David Fincher’s detailed script for Mank was written by his own father Jack, who uses flashbacks in the manner of Citizen Kane but here replaces the abuses of Charles Foster Kane with the abuses of the filmmaking industry and local politics. (Below, Fincher directs Oldman). 

Mank, however, suffers from the absence of the foreboding narrative that distinguished Citizen Kane. In one vignette, Mank is disgusted with Mayer (‘If I ever go to the electric chair, I'd like him to be sitting in my lap’) who drips sincerity pandering to his employees while cutting their pay in half. Actor Arliss Howard chews Mayer’s part with relish but no drama (below, c). 

Even the annihilating despair of a colleague who produced ads for a city mayoral race smearing the Democrat as a ‘lousy Bolshevik’ is affect-starved. That political campaign of self-interested lying to the public fueled Mank’s anger, propelling his revenge. (Here, the casting of Bill Nye, The Science Guy, as Upton Sinclair, the Democrat who gets beaten, is a clever poke at 2020 repression of science.) However the vignettes don’t build momentum. They are snapshots unmoored to a strong story arc. The power of Mank is in its imagery resembling Citizen Kane and as a singular character study that rakes over a man’s soul. It is lovely for all that, with Oscar buzz aplenty. 

Director of photography, Erik Messerschmidt, made a mesmerizing contribution here, creating the atmosphere of ‘Kane,’ perhaps to such an extent it leaves the viewer even more in want of old cars and old film — rich in moody blacks and whites, continuous long shots, immaculate lighting. Below, Marion glows. 

In short, cinephiles, watch and luxuriate. For those who feel no passion for the old film industry, the look, feel, and Mank’s bon mots will please, but no meal of a story is offered. Fincher has given us, writes David Rooney in The Hollywood Reporter, a “high-style piece of cinematic nostalgia that's a constant pleasure to look at but only intermittently finds a heartbeat.” Mank himself died of alcoholism at 55. 

Nostalgia for the present in Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm's doc, THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER

What a sweet treat it is to view the new and quite lovely documentary, THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER, directed by Taylor Morden and written by Zeke Kamm. 

The award-winning cable show, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver cleverly covered one of the remaining Blockbuster video stores in Alaska a year or so back, but even those are now gone and only one single location in the entire world (Blockbuster used to be relatively international) now remains -- in the town of Bend, Oregon. 

There is more than a little question raised during the course of this engaging doc whether or not this store will be viable for very much longer, perhaps closing its doors before the documentary has even finished being shot.

Misters Morden (pictured above, right) and Kamm (left) give us the history of both Blockbuster Video (including several of its owners over the years) and to a lesser extent the town of Bend and its own history of video stores, one of which was more or less blackmailed into becoming one of Blockbuster's franchises, though it is still owned by the original family (one of whom is shown below).

We meet plenty of minor celebrities -- from Kevin Smith (shown at right) to Adam Brody (two photos below) and Ione Skye -- each of whom seems to have an interesting video store history of his own.  

We also meet the woman, Sandi Harding (at right front, two photos below), who manages this last Blockbuster video store, as well as her family, friends and co-workers, all of whom seem like intelligent caring and very nice people to get to know. 

TrustMovies should think that, for anyone 30 years or older, the memory of going to and spending some really fun time in a video store will still burn warmly. 

Streaming has replaced all this, but as various folk in the doc point out, Netflix's suggestions for your viewing pleasure hardly take the place of your favorite video store clerk suggesting an interesting and right-up-your-alley new movie to see. 

Carl Icahn gets involved with Blockbuster along the way, as does Sumner Redstone and others, and we're told the major reason that Blockbuster finally went under (no, it was not because of Netflix). Finally, we're privy to how all the media coverage about this last Blockbuster has helped turn Bend, Oregon, into a real tourist attraction. 

There are humor, charm, culture, economics and irony aplenty here, in addition to a kind of nostalgia that is both real and not-quite, since -- despite going from a high of 9,000 video stores in its heyday down to a mere one -- there is still an actual functioning Blockbuster video rental store in our increasingly crazy world.

From 1091 Pictures and running just 86 minutes, The Last Blockbuster hits streaming -- and I would imagine actual DVD rental, at least in Bend, Oregon -- this coming Tuesday, December 15. For more information, 

click here.

Amazon streaming tip: Mark Pellington/Alex Ross Perry's poetic and moving NOSTALGIA

Yes, Mark Pellington (shown at left, director) and Alex Ross Perry (shown below, co-writer) do seem an odd combination, but in this particular case the combo works better for TrustMovies than either writer/director's work has managed to do individually.

Granted the title NOSTALGIA is a tad overused (95 exact title matches on the IMDB!), but it does indeed apply to this movie, whose themes are grief, loss, and the importance in one's life of both objects and memories. The film begins with a lovely scene in a diner between a waitress and a quiet, contemplative man (played

quite memorably by John Ortiz) who is an insurance assessor. We then move to one of his clients (Bruce Dern) and then to another (Ellen Burstyn), with various family members and friends involved, and from there to a dealer in sports memorabilia (Jon Hamm, shown in bottom photo) and then to this man's sister (Catherine Keener), her family and a sudden bereavement.

That's it, so far as plot goes. What holds the movie together and makes it often so beautiful and moving is its combination of themes, visuals and dialog, all brought to thoughtful, specific life by an array of first-rate actors, led by Mr. Ortiz who is a good here as I've yet seen him. He brings the kind of grace and understanding to the proceedings that help lead us into this unusual, artful look at the "whole" (or maybe the "hole") of our lives.

Criticism has been leveled at the film due to its supposed repetitiveness, yet each episode has its own special tale brought to life by top-notch performers. Supporting roles are cast with such a roster of talent -- Beth Grant to James Le Gros -- that each small performance rings  true and special.

The question of what the objects we collect during our lives mean -- to us, as well as to others -- is given a most interesting workout here, and the result is worth experiencing and thinking about.

Yes, the movie is slow-paced (and the final section goes on a bit too long), but it is so beautifully filmed that some of you, at least, will be pleased to have viewed it. Do give this film a try. Nostalgia is streaming now via Amazon, where Prime members can see it free of charge.

November's Sunday Corner with Lee Liberman STAR TREK: boldly going--and going and going

"If man is to survive, he will have learned to take delight 

in the essential differences between men and between cultures. 

He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, 

part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear."

- Gene Roddenberry 

Netflix notes the 50 year anniversary of Star Trek, The Original Series (TOS), by its streaming appearance, sparklingly remastered, with approbation on many fronts of Star Trek's value to generations of fans. Created by Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991) TOS ran 1966-69 on NBC. Five more series followed, 13 big-screen films, web sites, Trekkie followers, books, comics, encyclopedia, toys et al (below) -- Star Trek is industry. 

The adventures of the Starship Enterprise in the 23rd century were full of optimistic can-do -- human beings working together to figure things out and fix problems, said first fan, President Obama to WIRED (see the video link at end). Earth belonged to a federation of planets and had cold war foes, but the Enterprise mission was peaceful -- to assist planets in straits or in need of problem-solving.

The half-century milestone is a good point to tally up Star Trek's actual contribution to science and social progress. In all its dated glory it looks and feels like comic book adventure mixed with bible reading -- not for adults as much as select watching with children to help them process current events about war, peace, progress, and human behavior. It's a Roddenberry celebration of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Original Star Trek took time to catch on. It took a letter writing campaign to get it renewed for a third year. NBC insured its failure in 1969 by cutting the budget and scheduling it when its young audience wouldn't be there to watch. It found its footing in syndication in the 1970's late day thru supper (ritual at my house) and in later series.

Star Trek TOS, our focus here, based its subject matter on the space race, cold war, atomic fear, anger at endless war, dated 1950's social morays, and gender/race inequities; it drew its energy and optimism from JFK's New Frontier, LBJ's Great Society, and confidence in our ability to solve anything. It was a time in American life when it seemed the family of man could unify in Gene Roddenberry's humanist federated world government that would be multi-cultural, interracial, moral, embracing of science, learning, and the spread of freedom. Some of the subject matter was controversial in the late 60's -- tactics were employed to foil the script censors such as pushing boundaries in one area to distract from another knowing the former would be cut and the latter let stand.

The multi-national and-planetary officers of the Star Ship Enterprise ( "wagon train to the stars") and their bonds of affection, irritation, and loyalty led the series to be about humanness as much as science or politics. In the lead was dashing ship's commander, James T. Kirk -- William Shatner, still working in his mid-80's. Pointy-eared First Officer Spock, half-human/half Vulcan scientist from Federation planet Vulcan is much beloved; his emotionless affect steered the crew thru problem-solving with beams of logic -- Leonard Nimoy, actor/director, deceased in 2015. Nimoy/Spock was eulogized by NASA and influential in inspiring space science and travel. Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, was chief medical officer, an emotional Irishman -- DeForest Kelley, died at 79 in 1999. The perpetual heat between Bones and Spock underlined the tension between emotion and logic in problem-solving.

Lieutenant Uhura ('uhura' means 'freedom' in Swahili) put a woman on the bridge at a time black women characters were mostly servants and never real-life astronauts or military officers. Uhura and Kirk had the first U.S. inter-racial screen kiss --Nichelle Nichols is now in her 80's. While Scottish Engineer Scott, James Doohan, is also deceased, two other command crew are busy today: Russian Ensign Pavel Chekov, the placement of whom on the bridge previewed a peaceful end to the Cold War -- Walter Koenig, 80, his parents Russian Jewish emigres, has had a long career as writer, director, teacher, actor; and Sulu, George Takei, 79, is an activist and spokesperson for gay rights and politics, especially as an advocate for former internees of Japanese-American internment camps following Pearl Harbor. His busy life and bits of Star Trek are documented in "To Be Takei" on Netflix.

The extent to which the series imagined our modern high tech era (despite having missed the internet) is described here in a recent article by NASA physicist, David Allen Batchelor, Goddard Space Flight Center, a Star Trek fan, along with colleagues. Batchelor lists the devices familiar to series watchers such as communicator (below), transporter, tricorder, warp drive, cloaking device, replicator, phaser, et al -- describing what came true, is in the pipeline, or is still wishful thinking. His article includes a 1976 photo of the unveiling of NASA's space shuttle named 'Enterprise' in honor of the series and in the presence of many original cast attired in their 1970's bell-bottomed best.

Roddenberry made magic embedding imaginary space tech into plots. In "The Enemy Within", a transporter (used to move crew back and forth between ship and land) malfunction causes Kirk to be both duplicated and divided resulting in one weak captain and the other maniacally strong. Bad Kirk wreaks havoc on board ship while good Kirk grows passive, indecisive. The transporter repaired, the two captains are sent thru and come back as one. But Kirk has seen shocking parts of himself -- his decisive command authority from his dark side (below) and kindness and empathy from the good side. Spock, half-human, half Vulcan, explains he uses his reason to manage his own two warring halves; likewise Kirk must also manage his negative and positive traits to function as their commander.

In "Balance of Terror", Kirk discovers that a string of Federation outposts is being destroyed by a predatory Romulan bird-of-prey ship. The Enterprise attacks, launching a game of wits between well-matched competitors. Kirk finally cripples the Romulan ship, outwitting its captain who expresses regret: "You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend." Maintaining a 'balance of terror' is offset with regret that one's enemy would be a peer and friend in other conditions.

The original Star Trek offered 79 of these stories on unique planets in weird situations, some frivolous, some badly written, hammily acted, and decorated with silly paper mache props. But many episodes contained some unsubtle nugget of wisdom whether it be about power and its abuse, friendship, empathy for the stranger, the unknown, and the like.

In later iterations of the Star Trek universe, mid-century optimism has struggled, the mood frayed around the edges, no longer suitable for kids but aimed at those who have matured in a world of roiling threat.

It's fitting to end this weekend with mention of the uber-capitalist Ferengi (below) who appeared often in Star Trek series The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Writer/producers Ron D. Moore and Ira Steven Behr of Outlander were major contributors to both. Behr, showrunner for DS9, will release a documentary about it in 2017 and he wrote the Ferengi sacred code-- 285 'Rules of Acquisition', the bedrock of Ferengi society. A few of the code's uncanny tenets are: 'when in doubt, lie'; 'once you have their money, never give it back'; 'always exaggerate your estimates', and the formula for the velocity of wealth is 'rate divided by time = profit'.

The Ferengi of Planet Ferenginar were entirely devoted to unregulated capitalism, profit, trade, and swindling of the innocent. Workers benefits were frowned on -- they would interfere with worker exploitation. The Ferengi were unremorseful misogynists; they pressed women into the sex trade. After a Ferengi died he would meet up with the Blessed Exchequer who would dispatch him to the Devine Treasury or the Vault of Eternal Destitution, depending on his net worth. The alt-right Ferengi were too ridiculous to be political threats to the Federation. Likewise our 2016 comic-book villainy now requires similar dispatch to footnote status plus regulation to minimize harm to victims.

It may be that our young, broad-shouldered nation is experiencing adolescent growing pains following our post-WWII late twentieth-century growth spurt and burst of optimism. Original Star Trek offers moral support for the energy it will take to muster new national maturity. Star Trek TOS is not entirely dated after all (the cold war and mini-skirts are back in style); keep a lookout for some kids to share its infinite varieties with.

Note:  In this video, President Obama talks to WIRED about the true meaning of Star Trek....

The above post is written by our 

monthly correspondent, Lee Liberman.

Enriching, soulful, sorrowful: James Schamus' adaptation of Philip Roth's INDIGNATION

We're nowhere near the end the year, yet all these wonderful "year's bests" keep appearing. You'd think it was December -- or at least autumn -- already: The Innocents, Captain Fantastic, Homo Sapiens, Hell or High Water (which I won't be reviewing for a couple more weeks). And now appears a new --  and for my money best -- adaptation of a Philip Roth work to yet hit the screen.

It is the first full-length film to be directed by an icon of American independent cinema, James Schamus, and what a lovely job he has done! Granted, many of us movie lovers, who have such a soft spot in our hearts for Mr. Schamus as a groundbreaking producer over decades now, were no doubt hoping for something good. But this has exceeded all our -- mine, at least -- expectations. (And TrustMovies is not a huge fan of the work of Mr. Roth.) I have not read the particular Roth novel on which the film is based, but unless Mr Schamus has changed things rather drastically, this would appear to be one of the kindest and most caring of this author's works.

I don't believe that the filmmaker has sentimentalized things, either. INDIGNATION seems more a clear-eyed and honest -- if  quiet and unshowy -- look at 1950s America, in which to be at all "other" (whether Jewish, or atheist, or a sexually-active-and-happy-about-it young woman) is to court reprobation, if not outright shunning. Fit into the groove, please. Or keep silent. Or get out of town.

Our hero, Marcus -- played with a quiet strength and masculine beauty by Logan Lerman, (center, two photos above) in what is certainly his best role yet -- is both a Jew and an atheist who has come from New Jersey to attend a posh college in Ohio (where Jews have their very own dormitory -- and are expected to join it forthwith). Olivia, the young woman he meets and is very attracted to (the also beautiful Sarah Gadon, above, who comes across here as strongly as I've yet seen her on screen), is so sexually forward that she throws our young man for a loop. But, boy, does he try to figure all this out and make things "work." (Most young people will not have a clue what it was like to have lived though the uber-conforming, sexually rigid 1950s. This movie provides as good a foundation as any.)

At odds with Marcus -- even though they would want to think quite otherwise -- are the school's Dean (a splendid job by actor playwright Tracy Letts, above) and our boy's own mother (yes, this is Philip Roth novel, after all), brought to immense life and even greater strength by Linda Emond, below. (In a smaller role, Danny Burstein plays Marcus' father as a man sadly unravelling.)

Ms Emond has a scene toward the conclusion of the film that is as strong as any we've seen so far this year. She should be a shoo-in for a Best Supporting Actress nod. The scene involves her wringing a promise from her son that is perfectly understandable -- and yet you'll want to put your fist through her face for demanding it. (This is the second great "mother" scene this year, after Noémie Lvovsky's turn in the recent Summertime.)

Dialog is vital in this movie, and so well has Mr. Schamus coaxed his cast that you'll hang on every word. There's one scene midway along between Lerman and Letts that becomes an immediate classic of its kind. Visually, too, the director/screenwriter-adaptor has done some beautiful stuff -- especially the manner in which he ties beginning and end to all that has come in between. This is a quiet movie. And yet it is so full of life that, in its own way, it surges. I would not have missed it, and I can't wait to see it again, once it hits home video.

From Roadside Attractions, Indignation, after premiering in New York and Los Angeles last week, opens this Friday, August 5, here in South Florida (and elsewhere) -- in Miami at the AMC Aventura and Regal South Beach; in Ft. Lauderdale at The Classic Gateway Theatre; in Boca Raton at the Living Room Theatres and Regal Shadowood 16; and at the Movies of Delray in Delray Beach. The film will expand into even more theaters on August 12. 

Todd Haynes' superlative, exquisite CAROL comes to Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and Digital HD

So much has already been written about Todd Haynes' latest outpouring of nostalgia, beauty and closeted "forbidden" love that TrustMovies, finally catching up with this multi-Oscar-nominated film (that ended up winning nothing), can only second most of the praise he's already read and heard. Watching the film unfurl in its fine Blu-ray transfer is such a visual pleasure that buffs are likely to have to view CAROL a second time to fully appreciate the remarkable performances from lead actresses Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Mr. Haynes (shown at left), in bringing to the screen Phyllis Nagy's adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith tale of a lesbian love affair and its consequences, is in territory he loves best, including the 1950s time period. And he has brought all this to such fine fruition that the viewer can simply relax and, as it were, go with the flow. It seems to this critic, at least, that with each new work, Haynes grows more confident and secure in his craft. Here he allows the subtleties of the story, characteri-zations and performances to carry the day. And, my god, do they.

By now we know all too well how great an actress is Ms Blanchett (above); the surprise here is how perfectly Ms Mara (below) complements her co-star, while proving every bit as glamorous and talented. Above all, Carol proves a splendid, rich and deep love story about coming to terms with so much -- back when handling this kind of situation was nothing like as easy as it is today.

As fine as were the winners of this year's actress and supporting actress prize (Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander), no one, I think, can deny that Carol's co-stars are every bit as good. Ms Larson's role in Room is such a great one, as well as a great opportunity (think Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve), that it would be difficult to deny any actress who played the role properly this prize. Ms Vikander is always good; the Oscar here seems as much deserved for her better role in Ex Machina, which, being a genre movie, not so many of the Academy voters probably saw.

Carol's lack of "wins" can also be attributed to its being a lesbian film. The Academy might gives prizes now and again to a tear-jerker, triumph-of-the-human-spirit movie like Philadelphia (which is about men, after all, even if some of them are gay), but a quiet, strong and subtle one about women such as this? Not likely.

No worries. The nominations were enough to honor the amazing contributions here. And Carol will continue to find its audience, now and in perpetuity. With its theatrical release via The Weinstein Company and its video release from Anchor Bay Entertainment, the movie hits Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD this coming Tuesday, March 15 (it has been available via Digital HD since March 4) -- for purchase and/or rental.

Back to streaming: Finishing up Phryne Fisher's 1st season--this series just gets better & better!

Normally TM would just add an addendum onto his earlier post for a TV series he'd seen and enjoyed. But this time, concerning the Australian MISS FISHER'S MURDER MYSTERIES, the series -- which, when he first posted, he'd seen but four episodes and found them both old-fashioned and fun -- his opinion now, after viewing all thirteen programs, is  that this show and its worth grows with each new hour-long mystery. This is ace television in every way: wonderfully old-fashioned yet gloriously new-fangled, too.

Miss Phryne (pronounced fry-knee) Fisher and her splendid crew make us feel like we used to with our favorite TV shows back in the day because all these characters feel like a kind of "chosen family" -- folk we can't wait to spend time with again and again. Which is all the more odd, since almost every episode begins with a murder (these grow ever more bizarre and awful, yet they're usually -- or nearly -- blood-free).

The crimes serve to introduce us to yet another set of characters and a new environment (along with the old cast members we know and grow to love), whether it be magazine publishing of the day (the time is the 1920, the place Melbourne), a high-end house party, Jewish politics and culture (incipient Zionisn don'cha know!), gay and lesbian issues (below), a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta (above), the art world, and the lives of female factory workers, to list merely half of the subjects and themes you'll see when you begin viewing.

The series is a throwback to kinder, gentler times, yes, but it is brought to life with all the skill that cable television today can offer. The cast is exem-plary, the writing sharp & smart, & the direction (often from women whom we're sure to hear more from in the years to come) quite on target for this kind of show. What seems especially fine to me is how the characters take that moment with a glance, a touch, a direct look that manages to say a great deal without dialog. This can sometimes come off as arch -- but not here. Instead it adds an old-fashioned grace note to the goings-on.

Viewing Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is quite like taking vacation from our current times into something rich, just a little strange, and altogether magical -- mostly because you simply would not imagine that anyone could create anything this delectably enticing in our so often ugly and ironic day and age. (Miss Fisher and her crew could not be more different from that of the dark and piercing Spiral, that unusual French TV series that I also love.)

You can stream the first season of the show now (and please, Netflix, get the resulting season, too!): thirteen hours of Australian television heaven. Or you can purchase the four DVD or Blu-ray set that is distributed here in the USA via Acorn. More, please!