Queen of Knives

From its compelling storyline to its solid cast, it was a delight to watch from beginning to end. Much like its prequel, "King of Knives," a few years ago, I was immediately drawn to the quirky yet memorable characters who make up the Benetto family. And while a lot of things have changed, lingering tensions and old resentments still remain, particularly between patriarch Frank and matriarch (and ex-wife) Kathy.

This is, in part, due to a previous family tragedy that lies just beneath the surface. Yet, through it all, the story strikes a delicate balance between drama and laugh-out-loud funny (check out the art gallery scene!). One of my favorite things about QOK (and KOK too) is that the world these characters live in reflect such a realistic microcosm of our society - with folks of different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual identities and ages -- comingling with each other without pretension or fanfare. Just as it should be, both on screen and in real life.