Lockdown 3 means ample time to get through these 3 unmissable Netflix series. Get cracking as they are on for a limited time only.
THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Troubled orphan Beth Harmon, played by Brit actress Anya Taylor-Joy, appears to have nothing remarkable in her life until at the age of 9 she plays her first game of chess.
She fine hones her skills with the help of her older janitor friend and by the age of 16 she is competing for the US Open Championship. Her talent for the game, in a man’s world, catapults her to fame and stardom yet the troubled teen develops a drug addiction that could potentially derail her.
Shot in the 1960’s this original Netflix drama is beautiful to watch with stunning sets, costumes and the characterisation of Beth as a troubled, pill-popping orphan, along with her alcoholic adopted mother and the math obsessed opponents she plays.
The Queen’s Gambit not only makes you interested in chess for the first time…it carves out a wholly impressive, high octane drama that you will be engrossed in.
Rocks Rating:*****
IMDB: 8.7/10
UNBELIEVABLE
This 8-part series should come with a warning as you literally won’t be able to turn it off. Following the true story of Marie Adler, a teenager who was wrongly prosecuted for falsifying a rape, the story follows two detectives played by ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ star Toni Colette and the deeply impassioned Merritt Weaver who strive to convict a dangerous serial rapist on the loose.
The script is simply stunning and from the outset you are engrossed in the cat and mouse chase to catch the rapist before he strikes again.
All this while you are equally embroiled in the complicated character of Marie, played by Kaitlyn Dever, who is suffering more at the hands of the narrow-minded, smalltown, male detectives handling her case than she did at the hands of one of the US’s most prolific serial rapists.
Upsetting and disturbing in places this is one series you won’t be able to switch off – like Collette’s character – until you discover the truth.
Rocks Rating:****
IMDB: 8.4/10
THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE
Despite knowing the horrific details of the assassination of one of the world’s most famous designers, which is interestingly played out in Episode 1, this Emmy-nominated series is one of the most gripping and eerie portrayals into the mind of a psychotic serial killer you will ever see.
Ten out of ten to the casting directors who selected relative unknown Darren Criss to play the part of Gianni’s deranged killer Andrew Cunanan.
Big hitters Edgar Ramirez excels in his portrayal of Gianni, Penelope Cruz is equally spectacular as Donatella Versace while Latino heartthrob Ricky Martin plays Gianni’s distraught boyfriend Antonio D’Amico with ease.
The series takes us on a wild ride of murder and deception as the Miami police and FBI try to close in on Gianni’s killer. Shot with a stunning backdrop in the millionaire’s playground of Miami, and with the Versace family and fashion at the forefront this is a jaw dropping, enticing 9-episode mini-series from the American Crime Story franchise.
Rocks Rating: ****
IMDB: 7.7/10
