Well Deserved Praise

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

Excellent, a Must See

Better Late Then Never

What a Greek classic this is. As with others here I'm so glad to catch this series currently on ABC iView after dodging it previously. Maybe I was ready for it now because it's relevant and revelatory of what happens to young men finding their feet in a tough world. In this case, the world of elite sports. Admit I rushed to find out who this Matt Nable is and what else he's done. Totally surprised to find he's an Aussie and not Hungarian! How convincing he is, along with all the others in the cast. Barracuda's an attentive study in clashes and polarities, how you can make choices: to be aggressive, hungry, angry vs entitled, confident, moneyed and weak, and any combination of those. The structure is very much classical Greek theatre with Emma (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) in the role of commentator (Greek chorus) to Danny (and us) of her family.Good treatment of the press mediating life into trash (especially if you watched Frontline TV series). Everything counted for something - even Torma's house. Great script and characterisations. Loved Theo and loved the motor bike guy ("I'm not a spastic!!"). Thought Rachel Griffiths good in the part of not being able to say much while her life spins away from her dreams. And Helen Morse the tiny, aged controller watching all of them vying for power and favour. In support of the focus on beautiful masculinity, an article somewhere described Elias Anton's dedication to building his physique for the role, so I hope people don't assume it's about beauty for voyeurism. Athletes are the gods of Olympus basically, physically and in the dramas they play out among themselves, beyond the rest of us. My heart goes out to reviewer Jacob James Stapleton from London who knows what it's like to live this life like a comet – a gift with a sting in its tail.Some reviews here seem to miss the biggest thing in the frame – it's easy when it's so big we can't see it. The Pool, the arena. It's a beast, and as one said, what's going on above it, in it and below it. Frank Torma the water whisperer, kindly shares with us his wisdom and knowledge of this beast. And, much like Cassandra really, the key figures seem deaf to his warnings.

On the strength of the first two episodes of Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas has failed dismally to recreate the elements that made The Slap the kind of drama that had everybody talking. There is no equivalent social issue. There are no similarly recognisable suburban archetypes. And the plotting falls well short of compelling. The first episode barely lifts itself above the level of Neighbours or Home & Away. Indeed, they've both done similar stories, and done them just as well. Much of the dialogue is also risible ("I've always admired the working class" says Helen Morse, as Tsiolkos's idea of a haughty society matron.) And while the director delivers pretty pictures of athletic bodies and swimming races, the performances he gets from his cast are mostly sub-standard. Rachel Griffiths struggles to make anything of a fatally under-written character. And our would-be hero is played by an actor with eyebrows that recall the Thunderbirds marionettes, except that they don't move - which leaves him with precisely two expressions: wet and dry. The stars are mostly for the actors' abs.

I am not a fan of this writer, every time I start to read his books, I only get a third through. However it was a great production by the ABC and full credit to cast crew and writers. Loved the shots in the pool, and in particular Danny's mother who gave a wonderful and truly authentic portrayal of the European mum committed to family and life of her children. I'm not sure how much the miniseries deviates from book, but if end meaning is the same, then it was great. Not everyone is into sport, or can be a winner, and when a desire, passion, or dream ceases, it's not hopeless, but an opportunity to look at something else in life. I only hope more people will see that message. There's already too much loss of hope in the hearts of many in this world.

10 out of 10 may seem like quite a high rating but i thoroughly enjoyed the 4 part miniseries and while not perfect, nothing is, i'm rating it 10 because i was so engrossed the whole time. ABC featured all four episodes to stream on Iview and after watching the first episode on live TV, i could not wait a whole week for a second serve. I did start reading the book and gave up a few chapters in. While it was interesting and did at one point hook me in, i found the author who is brilliant, Christos Tsiolkas, is a strong story teller through the amount of detail he uses to set up plots, characters and scenes. I found the book at times be quite indulgent and while important in setting the scene, i wanted the book to progress at a faster pace. The miniseries however i found very rewarding as for time reasons, it was condensed and the narrative moved quickly which i liked. While i did not connect with the book, i appreciate it and could see how it is such a compelling read. Seeing it on the screen, i really respect the book for painting such a complex story of Danny, who is such a complex character.Elias Anton as Danny and Ben Kindon as Martin Taylor did such a superb job of bringing their characters to life. It was compelling to watch, they had major chemistry on screen which added to the direction of the storyline. Rachel Griffiths was outstanding as well, she nailed the cold and privileged mother. Matt Nable as Frank Torma though was a force, he gave a truly outstanding performance. A bare minimum Logie nomination for most outstanding actor, if not the win because he was just mesmerising. Playing a coach, you felt obliged to listen to him, like you were his student. This TV series really does deserve several nods in all categories at the Logies next year and AFI awards.I have to admit, i've been slack to acknowledge the ABC as suppliers of brilliant Australian drama, the only shows i watch on the ABC are Please Like Me and Dance Academy (back in the day) but i am certainly paying attention now. They are such wonderful contributors to Australian television and i'm going to make sure i am aware of all future TV projects because i would have felt very saddened had i not been aware of this television series. Support local production! Barracuda is a shining example of the talent in our industry. Wonderful story writing, talented actors, beautiful cinematography. Really spot on. Well done to all involved! A true feat.