Hit & Miss (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama/Thriller	Main Menu Audio Interviews-Cast & Crew Interviews-Cast & Crew-Q&A Session
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	254:26
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Sheree Folkson Hettie Macdonald
Studio Distributor	Fremantle Media Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Chloe Sevigny Vincent Regan Jonas Armstrong
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	?	Music	Dickon Hinchliffe

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     This show was shown recently on ABC2 here in Australia which shows the ABC's commitment to having quality programming on all its channels (unlike some other networks).

     This is a gritty, intense and very different series from the UK which involves a pre-op transgender contract killer, Mia (Chloe Sevigny) who life is turned upside down. Mia began life in a male body however decided that she was really a woman and now dresses and acts like a woman despite still having a p****. In her younger years, she had a straight relationship with a woman, Wendy, before deciding that she was attracted to men. She did not realise that when she split from Wendy, Wendy was pregnant with her son, Ryan. Now, 11 years later, she has been working as a contract killer for Manchester mod boss, Eddie (Peter Wight) and living a lonely and single life. She receives notification that Wendy has died of cancer and left her as legal guardian of her four children, Wendy & Mia's son Ryan but also his half brothers and sisters. They are teenage boy, Levi (Reece Noi), his full sister, Riley (Karla Crome) and a younger half-sister, Leonie (Roma Christensen). They live on a farm outside of Manchester which is rented from a local scumbag, John (Vincent Regan). Despite the anger and hostility of Levi & Riley, Mia decides to move into the farmhouse and try to become the children's parent which is something she has absolutely no experience in, whilst also retaining her job as a contract killer to provide an income to support the kids. She struggles to balance the needs of her new family with her job and her own desires for a relationship and to complete her transition to being a woman. Also featured is local man, Ben (Jonas Armstrong) who starts a tentative friendship with Mia.

     This show is not for the faint hearted as it features intense violence and sexuality earning its MA15+ rating. It is compelling, interesting and different; I have certainly never seen another show which it reminds me of. Chloe Sevigny is fantastic in what is a very difficult role and it is great to see an American star lining up to work in a British production of something which is edgy and different. Of course, she is not new to edgy and different, with her great role in Big Love being a good example. The show does not feel the need to explain everything at once and you learn more about the characters and how they interact as the story progresses. The quality of the show is also increased by the excellent cinematography and an interesting and atmospheric selection of music.

     This DVD set contains all six episodes spread over two discs. Each episode is about 42 minutes.

     Recommended for those who enjoy edgy thrillers with a twist but it will be too much for granny or the kiddies.

Video

     The video quality is good.

     The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was reasonably clear and sharp throughout. The shadow detail was quite good.

     The colour was very good with no issues to report.

     There was some motion blur but no other noticeable artefacts.

     There are no subtitles, which is a shame.

    The layer changes are quite obvious.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is good.

     These discs contain an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0.

     Dialogue was mostly clear and easy to hear and understand, although subtitles would certainly have helped with some of the accents. The soundtrack displayed some good front separation.

     The music sounds great and is a highlight of the production as mentioned above.

     The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     A good selection of worthwhile extras.

Menu

     The menu included music.

Interview - Chloe Sevigny (11:53)

     An unedited interview with the star of the show which includes some interesting discussion about how she became involved, the character and her preparation. It is somewhat hard to hear the interviewer.

Interview - Paul Abbott - Series Creator (21:07)

     Another unedited interview where he sometimes stops what he is saying and tries to say it in a different way. Interesting information though about the concept, development, casting and his career.

Interview - Sean Conway - Writer (11:06)

     The writer discusses the concept, the character of Mia, casting and how he became involved.

Interview - Juliet Charlesworth - Producer (17:46)

     She discusses her approach to creative processes and managing the talent plus logistics of the shoot especially the animals. Worth a look.

Q&A at the Mayfair Hotel (25:02)

     Q&A session with a moderator and live audience featuring the star, the creator, writer and an executive producer. Covers similar ground to the interviews, sometimes using exactly the same words. Still worth watching for background on the show.

    This show is available in the UK in the same format but not in Region 1. There is also a Blu-ray available in the UK but not locally. May as well buy local for DVD.

    The video quality is good.

    The audio quality is good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall