There are no heroes in Defiance; there are only those who occasionally overcome their flaws in glorious fashion. This series has always found a way, especially last year, to make even its most conniving characters likable, but in this two-hour season 3 premiere, the audience finally gets its first look at a genuinely despicable villain – perhaps even more than one! And with the fearless abandon that comes with killing off beloved characters, the groundwork laid in this initial story promises big changes for the show, including complex conflicts and tough choices for everyone....

French developer Quantic Dream has been one of the most forward-thinking, innovative (albeit divisive) studios in the games industry for the past three console generations. Titles like Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, and Beyond: Two Souls challenged players to expand their ideas of what a game should or could be, simplifying direct player control in the hopes of creating cinematic, narrative-focused experiences. When talking about his team’s work, the studio’s fearless leader, David Cage, often sounds more like a filmmaker than a game developer, breaking down themes and “social emotions” rather than discussing level design or gameplay features....

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 1 How does a show like Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency manage to transform itself from sci-fi to fantasy, remind viewers of several loose ends from season 1, give an update as to everyone’s scattered whereabouts, introduce interesting new characters, and allow time for several deeply emotional moments? It doesn’t seem possible, but the season 2 premiere managed to do just that. As ridiculous as the opening scene was with its pink-haired, scissor-sword fighting prince and talk of prophecies involving Dirk Gently, it framed the rest of the episode so enticingly (along with the mystical ending) that viewers are now ravenous with anticipation for the season ahead....

For as we’ve pointed out before, not since Doctor Who‘s return back in 2005 has the show kicked off with a two-part story. And there’s good reasons why this new series has chosen to do so, and why Day Of The Moon has so much to get through before the titles roll. It does quickly pick up the mantle from The Impossible Astronaut, and wind the story forward three months....

To this day, I sit here wondering if the finest casting decision that Russell T Davies oversaw during his tenure on Doctor Who – outside of his title stars – was the appointment of Bernard Cribbins. At times, when the generally very good The End Of Time Part One was threatening to lull a little, Cribbin’s Wilf not only steadied the ship, but also gave the episode its finest moment....

I include an extract from one such report below: It comes after average overnight figures for the whole series peaked at 6 million – 1.2 million less than the average for David Tennant’s Doctor of 7.2 million.” It could be from anywhere, really. Not just the tabloids either, even the ‘serious’ press have been seemingly sticking the boot in. Well, the facts are that Matt Smith’s confirmed audience figures only go up to The Lodger so far – BARB has yet to give final figures for the last two episodes....

8.3 Robot Of Sherwood To be fair, Mark Gatiss must have been rubbing his hands with glee when he realised he was going to get to write this for Peter Capaldi. More than the episodes this series thus far, “Robot Of Sherwood” is pitched very closely to Capaldi’s weary demeanour as the Doctor, highlighting his wonderful comedic intolerance. The darkness that has underpinned the series to date is set aside, as instead, “Robot Of Sherwood” is a Saturday night swashbuckling romp....

Generally, I’ve liked where Dollhouse has gone this year much more than I did with its choices in the first season. It’s almost like the knowledge that it’s cancelled has allowed a creative freedom the scrabble for ratings suppressed. The ‘doll state’ she’s in doesn’t actually give her enough understanding of the world around her to actually survive, as she doesn’t understand that food must be paid for. She ends up robbing a store to help an immigrant, who then gets caught by a nasty local sheriff played by Glenn Morshower, ex-presidential secret service agent from 24....

Dragon Ball Super Episode 13 Another Dragon Ball Super and another installment of these two Gods duking it out. It’s hard to remember a time when this show wasn’t devoted to Goku and Beerus trying to overtake the other. Last week’s edition of their fight even saw the universe literally crumbling under their collective strength, so clearly things are building to an end point here. There’s not much higher you can go than solar systems evaporating from these two powering up....

Dragon Ball Super Episode 14 “Just because you’re a God doesn’t mean you get to decide a person’s limits.” After many episodes worth of fighting, this fight finally ran its course. The installment begins with Goku in a severe disadvantage. After the events of last episode, Goku’s God powers appear to be absent and he’s left with the abilities of a normal ol’ Super Saiyan at his disposal now (and thank God Vegeta’s been standing still for four episodes now to catch the guy when he falls)....

Their films frequently horrified critics, but became a staple of video rental stores: with Cannon Films cranking out as many as 50 or so pictures a year at its peak, the company’s distinctive logo and self-explanatory film titles (New Year’s Evil, Avenging Force, Enter The Ninja) were ubiquitous throughout the 80s and early 90s. The company was eventually brought down by its fast-and-loose approach to film production, and Cannon released its final film in 1993....

Speaking of shortcomings, there’s one thing you can certainly say about Extant’s protagonist, Molly: she’s far from perfect. As she stumbles this week into a perceived conspiracy, it’s easy to forget Molly’s deception of those around her began BEFORE fellow astronaut, Harmon Kryger, shared his experience with her. It’s somewhat convenient that she discovers the corroborating evidence of mysterious occurrences on the Seraphim from the earlier mission just in time to justify a secret she’s already keeping....

That would at least offer some explanation as to why so much of the film is dedicated to another overwrought plot involving Diesel’s motorsport enthusiast Dominic Toretto’s relationship with Michelle Rodriguez’s laughless Letty. The clumsy melodrama of these scenes makes you want to grind your teeth. Surely even the series’ most dedicated fans would concede that the relationship drama between the two (which has involved death, resurrection and memory loss, and that’s before this film) finished serving its purpose some time ago....

The original Fear stars Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen, Alyssa Milano and Amy Brenneman. It was directed by James Foley and written by Christopher Crowe. The film revolves around an enthusiastic young man whose life is ruined by the perfect upper-middle class family even after offering to help his girlfriend’s father with household chores. You can watch the trailer for the original film here: All other details are being kept under wraps for now....

4.1 What’s Your Story? If you were a fan of Fear’s first three seasons and didn’t think the show needed any course corrections, What’s Your Story? feels nothing like anything we’ve seen up to this point. We’re introduced to new characters, a new locale, and an overall different aesthetic. This is quite a feat, considering that Fear always prided itself on being a different type of animal from The Walking Dead....

My local multiplex is a good one. It’s the Empire in Rubery, Birmingham, and for the most part, patrons are well behaved, and get on with the simple business of watching the film in hand. Twice in 2017, though, I’ve audibly witnessed the curse of someone instantly giving their review as soon as the picture fades to black, and the first credit appears. First time? That was for Darren Aronofsky’s mother!...

1.14 Hitler On The Half Shell I’m not sure why, but this wasn’t the best Forever episode we’ve had recently, and it left this reviewer distinctly underwhelmed. The inspiration for the story is that of Cornelius Gurlitt, a man who hoarded more than 1,500 works of art, many stolen from Jewish people during WWII, and hidden until almost seventy years later. Except in that case Gurlitt made no effort to return the painting that his father, Hildebrand, acquired under the worst possible circumstances....

3.8 Entrada With just a few minutes, a secret that’s been privy to the viewers for the previous eight episodes was out in the open, and everyone at Fringe division realised they’d been duped. Is it me, or was this like saving pennies for months and then blowing the whole enchilada on a single horse? But what I didn’t really follow about proceedings was that, if Altivia’s mission was effectively complete, which it appears it was, then why was she still hanging around anyway?...

4.10 The Children Usually, the tenth episode of the season is kind of a chance to relax, reflect on what happened in crazypants episode nine, and generally just catch your breath and get ready for the next season of weirdness in Westeros, Essos, and the whole of George R.R. Martin’s imagination. However, The Children offers no such breathing room. From the very beginning, as Jon Snow marches north to palaver with Mance Rayder, to the very end, as Arya Stark flees Westeros for her new life as a Braavosi sellsword (or Faceless Man), there was not a chance to breathe, and the extra-long episode allowed for more exploration – albeit still not enough for most fans of the show....

This week isn’t the easiest of subjects: we’re talking about how to talk to, interact with and respect people who are suffering from serious illness. This piece is written by Caroline Hardy, who was diagnosed with mouth cancer in the early 2000s. As Caroline says, “please do not take offence – it is meant as constructive advice”. And whilst obviously different people deal with things in different ways, here are the tips that Caroline has passed on....