My top TV of 2018

Yes, I have actually bothered to watch some television this year and have a top TV moment. And that it...

The final series of The Bridge

Thanks must go to my sister for introducing me to this show. The Scandinavian crime series came to an end this year with its fourth instalment. It has successfully followed in the footsteps of The Killing in becoming an international success. And it made a big leap in terms of shows on British TV - moving from its usual BBC Four slot to 9.00pm on Friday nights on BBC Two. Welcome to the big leagues. Mind you, considering everything else on at the same time, what else were you going to watch?

Caution, some SPOILERS!!!

The obsessive, unorthodox, socially-awkward and emotionally complex Saga Norén (Sofia Helin) is a character we cannot help but fall in love with, as she begins the series spending time in prison unjustly for the death of her mother. She is now living in fear and vulnerable. Throughout all four series, we admire Saga for her methodical and professional approach to her job and her social incompetence. It is also a very accurate portrayal of Asperger's. Meanwhile, whilst investigating the death of the head of Denmark’s immigration board, Henrik Sabroe (Thure Lindhardt) is still searching for his missing daughters after learning about the death of his wife at the end of the previous season. Henrik is now as much a part of the show as his predecessor Martin Rohde was.
Again, as with the previous series, the presentation of the victims (I honestly could not think of any other words to use here) is visually spectacular; the last time I was impressed by this was when I was very much into Hannibal. There is also the right combination of thrill and excitement - to solve this mystery - and drama - having a connection with the characters. It is a dark show - both thematically and the cinematography.

Creator Hans Rosenfeldt made the choice not to kill off either of the two leads - this would have been the obvious and, for many, expected thing to do. For that, we all thank him. We also thank him for all the thrills, cliffhangers, second-guessing, intensity and treating us, the audience, as intelligent human beings. Every time you think you have an idea who the main culprit is, but that quickly gets thrown out the window. The US remake and the other copycats of this series (i.e. The Tunnel) pale in comparison.

What else is there to say? "Takk" for the memories...Now I want to go on holiday to Sweden and Denmark.

By the way, Saga’s 1977 Porsche, in ‘Jager Grun’ was sold at auction for £125,000, over four times the initial estimate.

Coming soon (2018)

So what's coming up in 2018 that deserves attention?

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – January 12th
• From Martin McDonagh, director of Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges, comes a dark comedy in which a mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder, when they fail to catch the killer.
• Starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage.
• My pick for the Oscars (it is about time they took a comedy seriously).

• Darkest Hour – January 12th
• From director Joe Wright comes a look back at the early days of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister and whether he should negotiate with Nazi Germany or fight against them.
• Starring Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James and Ben Mendelsohn.
• Can Britain's greatest living actor finally win an Oscar?

• Phantom Thread – February 2nd
• From director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood and The Master) comes the final ever performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.

•  I, Tonya – February 23rd
• Margot Robbie stars as controversial figure skater Tonya Harding.

• Tomb Raider – March 16th
• Can we finally get a good film based on a video game?
• Following the same mould as the successfully rebooted Tomb Raider video game franchise, in terms of realism, grittiness and darkness atmosphere.
• Starring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft; co-stars Walton Goggins, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dominic West and Nick Frost.

• Isle of Dogs – March 30th
• The new film from Wes Anderson, his first since The Grand Budapest Hotel.
• An animation, in the same mould as Fantastic Mr Fox, set in Japan about a boy's odyssey for his missing dog (nothing to do with the Docklands).
• An all-star ensemble cast as to be expected - Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Greta Gerwig and so on.

• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – June 8th
• Jeff Goldblum is back...This, uh, could, uh, go, uh, either, uh, way...uh.
• Thank God Bryce Dallas Howard is now running around in more appropriate shoes.

•  Sicario 2: Soldado – June 29th
• I loved Sicario, so hopes and expectations are high for this.
• New director - Stefano Sollima (best known for the TV adaptation of Gomorrah).
• Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin return.

• The Incredibles 2 – July 13th
• I watched The Incredibles not that long ago and had forgotten how much I was a fan of it; it was like the Fantastic Four, but it was good.
• Most of the original cast are returning, including Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson.

• The House with a Clock in its Walls – October 19th
• Based on a graphic horror novel from the 1970s, young orphan Lewis Barnavelt goes to live with his magical uncle and together they must locate a clock powerful enough to bring about the end of the world.
• Stars Cate Blanchett, Jack Black and Kyle MacLachlan.
• My only concern - it is a film for young adults, but directed by Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel and The Green Inferno); it is kinda like George Romero directing a Harry Potter film or Sam Raimi directing a Wizard of Oz film...oh wait, that did happen.

• The Jungle Book – October 19th
• Yes, I know we had a live-action Jungle Book back in 2016, but this one is directed by Andy Serkis.
• Promises to be closer to the original Rudyard Kipling book and intended for an older audience.
• Starring Serkis as Baloo, Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan, Cate Blanchett as Kaa and Christian Bale as Bagheera.

• First Man – November 2nd
• A biopic of Neil Armstrong, leading up to him becoming the first man on the moon in 1969.
• From the La La Land duo of director Damien Chazelle and actor Ryan Gosling.
• Co-stars Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll and Kyle Chandler.

• The Man Who Killed Don Quixote – TBC
• From director Terry Gilliam, an advertising executive jumps back and forth between 21st century London and 17th century La Mancha and Don Quixote mistakes him for Sancho Panza.
• Starring Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Olga Kurylenko and Stellan Skarsgård.

•  Bohemian Rhapsody – December 28th
• The long-awaited biopic of Freddie Mercury, culminating with Queen's legendary performance at Live Aid in 1985.
• Was going to be directed by Bryan Singer, who abruptly dropped out. Now it's up to Dexter Fletcher (Sunshine on Leith and Eddie The Eagle).
• Was going to star Sacha Baron Cohen, who left due to creative differences with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Now it's Rami Malek in the lead role.