Big Little Lies: Season 1 [DVD] [2017]

a great drama, nicole kidman looks and acts amazing in it and at a good price.

Anyone who watches Bake Off will know that you can buy all the best ingredients, use all the best implements, and follow the recipe to the letter, but what it takes to bake the perfect cake is just a touch of magic. Thankfully, magic abounds in this really extraordinary series following the lives of five women and their extended families in a wealthy seaside town in California (successfully uprooted from Sydney's Northern Beaches, which indicates how universal these themes are). It's a recipe for perfection. Liane Moriarty's source novel is an excellent starting point with its nimble narrative mix of comedy and intense drama (well worth a read). The casting is sensational - for obvious reasons since Kidman and Witherspoon bought the rights from Moriarty and produced the whole piece as well as starring - but even the supporting cast is faultless (including, for once, ALL the kids). Writing, direction, filmography, song choice, a beautiful score from Agnes Obel... individually excellent, but collectively they add up to a near masterpiece of television.The performances are flawless, especially from the five leading women - Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Laura Dern are fabulous. Reece Witherspoon is wonderful as Madeline: likeable, bossy, infuriating, nosy, well-intentioned, friendly, bitchy, demanding, generous. It's a gem of a role which she plays to the hilt. Kudos also to the men of the piece, particularly Alexander Skarsgard as Perry, ghastly husband to the beautiful Celeste.He brings a genuine menace to his role as Perry and it's a quiet, physical menace that unsettles whenever he's on screen. A massive shout-out also to one of the smaller players, Robin Weigert as Dr Reisman, the marriage counsellor who Celeste and Perry consult with. Watching her with Kidman is mesmerising; she employs a theatrical stillness which truly enables Kidman to play off her - Kidman's Celeste ripping herself apart in near total silence, wanting so much to offer up her own truths, but terrified of giving name to the reality of her relationship.Which brings me to Nicole Kidman. She's breathtaking, and absolutely deserved her Emmy. It's a brave, subtle, nuanced performance, sometimes with some long single camera takes in which her despair battles against her self-containment in a desperate attempt to maintain her impermeability. Her marriage is dangerous. She knows it, but she can't say it. It's a masterful portrayal of an abusive relationship from both her and Skarsgard, and has been rightly praised.It's hard to think of too many ways in which Big Little Lies could be improved. Some may complain that it's too full of rich white people, but that's actually the point - this is not some working class dramedy. It's exactly the slice of moneyed perfection that most of us look at from afar which Moriarty and the filmmakers are dissecting. And they do it with incredible skill.

Can’t fault dvd or delivery. Well worth a watch.I’ve read the book and although I enjoyed the dvd I couldn’t help thinking that I would have been confused at times without having already read the book? I had to keep explaining things to the person who was watching it with me. Especially confusing was the repeated scenes with one of the characters running along a beach in a blue dress .The book is way way better (well worth a read) and goes into more details that the dvd sadly lacks.Personally I think the dvd would have been improved by adding at least another couple of episodes and expanding the storyline to meet the book’s details which was riveting reading and would have improved the story and made it less confusing and rushed. Also I thought the ending (and the final episodes) was rushed but there is a series 2 so maybe this will be explored more then?

A must watch

If you are a fan of great quality TV shows and you haven't watched "Big Little Lies" yet, you must watch it. Because the theme of the show is very important. It is for our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our nieces, our female best friends and all the wonderful women in this world. The directing and cinematography are beyond amazing! The costumes and set decorations are all spot-on; the writing is witty and sharp and brilliant (of course, very well-adapted to its astonishing #1 bestseller by 'Liane Moriarty'); the soundtrack is to die for; the editing is quick but subtle; the opening credit is simply beautiful! And the last not the least, the cast, it is a dream-come-true; every single actress and actor (including the talented young kids) did phenomenal jobs! I can't stop falling in love with all the astounding performances especially by these five leading ladies: 'Reese Witherspoon', 'Nicole Kidman', 'Shailene Woodley', 'Laura Dern', and 'Zoë Kravitz'. They made me speechless. Thank you HBO and all the producers and creators of this awesomely awesome, utterly unforgettable modern masterpiece! The limited series at its BEST! Yes!

No spoilers.This is so good. Five American families, each with kids starting big school The acting is excellent and I would recommend taking notes of who is who and the names of their children, or it becomes confusing. They do have a dark secret, although this is rather overshadowed in the interplay, often hostile, between characters. There is a minor part for 8 y.o. (when filmed) Iain Armitage, later to star as Young Sheldon in the TV series of that name.You really need to watch series two, which has been on TV and introduces Meryl Streep who puts in an outstanding perfomance worthy of an Oscar , in my opinion, if this had been a single movie.By the way there is considerable use of the F-word in case you would be watching with someone who may be offended by this, but I don't think it spoils the story.

This show is very wonderfully written and produced. The characters are realistic and compelling, and the struggles the four women share definitely hit home. It goes to show you that being wealthy does not automatically guarantee you a happy, fulfilling life. I can't wait to be able to get season 2, because Meryl Streep joins the cast as Celeste's now former mother-in-law. The only thing I don't like is all the swearing/foul language. Do people really talk like that in real life? I don't think so. The women are all mothers, and you have to be so careful about every word you say around them, unless you want your child/children to start talking like that.

I bought this not knowing it would not play in my cd player, I wish it was printed larger for us old people. Wasted my money. There is not an American CD.

Product didnt play. Video was a scam.