Recently, he returned at the Royal Rumble. But where did he go? Why did he return? Really? What does that even mean? That’s all we get as far as an explanation for where Ziggler vanished to, and why he gave up a title in the process? Then Ziggler finished the promo by saying no one can out-shine him and he wants the one title that has eluded him, the WWE Title....
“Hey, you know what really hooked people into Lost? The plane crash. Our pilot needs a plane crash!” “Good point! And you know what made season one of 24 so popular? Jack being forced to do things against his will while his family is held hostage! Hey, I’ve got a great idea. Let’s throw all of those things together and make a pilot!” That is kind of what the pilot to The Event is like, a mishmash of ideas and plots that you’ve seen before, but then with flashbacks and a jumping timeline to make things even more confusing (and samey) for the audience....
The film follows Toni (Royalty Hightower – definitely worth keeping track of), an 11-year-old tomboy we first meet working out with her older brother in the boxing gym. She soon discovers another world within the community centre, one in which the Lionesses – a group of competitive dancers – exist. The film first premiered at the 2015 Venice Film Festival and has been gathering near-universal praise ever since, and has now found it’s way to the UK in limited release....
This is what I love about television, the emphasis on character, but this is what The Following fails most at. Content to shock and awe with abundant gore, The Following relies more heavily on their kills and thrills than they do on their characters. Using the horrendous flashback format that the writers continue to embrace, despite it wearing thin on many viewers’ patience, The Following likes to pretend that they are giving their audience more insight into the pasts of their main characters, but these flashbacks consistently prove to be unnecessary, only further solidifying facts that have already previously been presented in dialogue or could have been inferred using regular common sense....
1.8 Welcome Home It’s a week of changes on The Following. Joe Carroll has to get used to his new house in the country with his murder parlour, scotch supplies, and legions of followers, both familiar and brand new recruits brought together by his talented lieutenants, some of whom were introduced this week. Meanwhile, yet another new FBI agent takes over the Carroll task force. Nick Donovan (Mike Colter) takes over for Agent Parker, who took over for someone else previously, and the first thing he does is make a whole lot of enemies by reducing Ryan’s role in the case (despite the fact he’s the smartest person affiliated with the FBI), punishing Weston for misbehaviour, and generally being a delay all around....
It’s the start of a brand new year for our zero heroes. Despite being in the upper sixth, they’re still on the lower rung of the social ladder and there’s a new danger on the road! Despite not being asked to participate, Jay is convinced that appearing on the catwalk will be the making of him as a sex symbol and is none too pleased when Simon announces he’s modelling as a favour to his beloved Carli....
The particular variety of cheesiness for The Lost Boys stems from its dated sense of style, which is so heavily 80s that the movie becomes emblematic of the entire decade. Images of bustling video stores, mullets, Echo and the Bunnymen posters and even the presence of Alex Winter demonstrate that this movie is a main product of the era’s gaudy fashion (sported by Haim, whose regrettable wardrobe blares like the neon Santa Clara boardwalk) and desire to defy the preceding cinematic sobriety of the 1970s....
The Magicians Season 1 Episode 13 Credit goes to The Magicians for cramming so much story into its season 1 finale! But was it too much to swallow all at once (forgive the obvious reference)? Oddly, no. Chances are that viewers who have stuck with the series this far had their eyes glued to the screens for every last detail of Fillory and each revealing moment of the various characters’ stories....
1.6 Fruit of the Poisoned Tree I was worried Elijah would be stuck as the perpetual Jiminy Cricket of the show, forever whispering in Klaus’ ear about restraint and honour, but here we finally got to see him lose his composure – and it was glorious. I guess all it takes is a genuine threat to his family and, with Sophie now magically unlinked from Hayley, I really do fear for her wellbeing....
As it turns out, that box contains a dybbuk – a Jewish demon – that should not be let out. Unfortunately, Em successfully opens the box and unleashes an evil presence. (Don’t you hate when that happens?) Em changes a bit, turning violent, hanging out with moths, talking in a creepy voice, and pretty soon it’s obvious even to the most skeptical of parent that their child is under the influence of some sort of unnatural force....
The Prisoner continues to improve with the third episode, Anvil. Apparently, Six (Jim Caviezel) has quit the bus driving position he held in the previous installment; he’s given a new job in surveillance. His mentor is 909 (Vincent Regan), Two’s long serving lieutenant. As the Village’s video observation techniques are unveiled, writer Bill Gallagher has lots of opportunities to reference 1984, Philip K. Dick-style paranoia and the ‘nanny state’ fears of our society....
1.2 Simon This week’s episode unseated our confidence in Camille and Simon’s benevolence. Both committed acts of violence – Camille to her twin sister’s bedroom, Simon to the diner waiter – but neither acknowledged it, nor expressed any regret after the fact. Did they even remember? The Returned’s lack of physical deterioration led us to believe they were less zombies and more miraculous PTSD sufferers, but this violence paints them as a more traditional threat....
Cloud Atlas, a film which spanned multiple generations and mused on recurring patterns in heritage by using the same actors as different characters, with no bar to race or gender, might warrant a trailer of that length, but for Mitty, it should be altogether easier to swallow. The premise, taken from the James Thurber short story and the 1947 film starring Danny Kaye, is based around Walter Mitty, (Stiller) a chronic day-dreamer who works as a photo editor for Life Magazine....
Seemingly triggered by snowfall, a serial killer is kidnapping women across Norway’s cities, leaving their dismembered bodies to be found lying face down in a drift several days later. The killer’s calling card: a snowman in the victim’s front garden, usually oriented to face the house. To crack the case, Hole joins forces with new recruit Katrine Bratt (Rebecca Ferguson). The cast, at least, is sterling stuff: alongside Fassbender and Ferguson you’ll find JK Simmons, Val Kilmer, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chloe Sevigny and Toby Jones in supporting roles....
Anderson’s assembled an impressive cast for his 17th century confection, which includes Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans as the musketeers (respectively, Athos, Porthos and Aramis), Christoph Waltz as the conniving Cardinal Richelieu, Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham, and Milla Jovovich as Milady De Winter. At the forefront stands Logan Lerman as D’Artagnan, a cocky young parvenu who’s handy with a sword. The musketeers, a group of elite warriors who fight for the king, are disillusioned and gloomy following a botched mission in Venice....
1.9 Death’s Door Spare me the arguments that The Tomorrow People predates Star Wars, what happened this week was pure George Lucas. Specifically, the mysterious Founder’s use of his advanced Tomorrow People powers against John. He force-choked him from across the room, then uses the Force to open his straps so he could come fight. He uses the Force to stop John’s punch like stopping Han’s blaster bolts, then he Force-chokes John again, this time gripping him by the throat, just like Vader did to Admiral Motti on the first Death Star when Motti mocked his Jedi faith, except this time the choking victim ends up being raised into the air as well....
5.22 Home The Vampire Diaries has always, to some extent, been about Elena’s shifting affections towards the two Salvatore brothers but, in recent seasons, it’s also been about the inability to let favourite characters permanently ride off into the sunset. I’m cautious about accepting the end of this episode as anything remotely permanent, especially given that the last time I had this visceral a reaction to the show was back when Jeremy was killed and Elena burnt their house down (we know how that ended), but surely doing away with The Other Side permanently will remove the writers’ favourite shortcut to guest appearances?...
7.19 Somebody That I Used To Know Of course, Enzo and Alaric aren’t exactly new characters, but they are characters who’d had little to no interaction with our main ladies before this. Alaric had once been Caroline’s teacher, for a start, and I’d have been more on board with Bonnie and Matt than Bonnie and Enzo. Imagine my surprise, then, that this episode kind of left me a semi-fan of their relationship....
Glenn asks Maggie if The Governor touched her; she tells him that he didn’t. Glenn then goes over and rips off the re-dead zombie’s arm and breaks off a sharp piece of bone to hand to Maggie. Shortly after, Merle and a henchman enter the room. Glenn and Maggie ambush them; Maggie takes the sharp bone to the henchman’s throat and grabs his gun while Merle overpowers Glenn. Maggie holds Merle at gunpoint, but two more of The Governor’s henchmen hold Maggie at gunpoint....
