my new tv obsession is boardwalk empire, which is not surprising since mad men just ended (sad face) and i needed another period drama to fill the void. set in prohibition era atlantic city, the story revolves around nucky thompson – played by the ridiculously awesome and surprisingly… dare i say attractive steve buscemi – and the various gangsters, government agents and ordinary folk whose lives are influenced by the fortunes and misfortunes of bootlegging and other illegal activities…
the characters are interesting, the acting is top notch, there’s plenty of nudity and sex (something i always felt mad men kind of lacked, he he) and it is also super violent (scorsese / gansters – what do you expect?) certainly the most impressive thing for me is the set design & the effort that went into recreating atlantic city in the twenties.
the set, which features a 300ft “period-perfect rendition” of Atlantic City in the early 1920s, took three months to build includes depictions of storefronts, cars and the boardwalk itself. after filming, digital effects were used to add details like skylines, billboards, piers and beaches, whose looks were based on vintage postcards.
the costumes are also to die for – look out for the scenes in the dress shop and all the outfits the ladies wear.