So why did Schwimmer turn it down? He’s now explained the decision in detail in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. Here’s the story, as Schwimmer regaled it… And I had always wanted to direct. So I had said, “okay, look; I’ll sign for a three-picture deal if you let me direct my first film, and cast my entire theatre company in Chicago” [the long-time friends who Schwimmer had been working with for years, long before Friends and stardom came along]....

If the rumours are to be believed (and they’re coming from very credible sources), the two really objectionable reporting restrictions imposed by Konami are that reviewers must not mention the size of the install or the length of the cut scenes. There’s no valid reason whatsoever why these aspects of the game shouldn’t be mentioned in a review. They’re not spoilers and have nothing to do with the timing of the release, so why is Konami so apparently insistent on keeping them out of reviews?...

Jamie’s in town to find out more about his roots and bond with their father – albeit in a rather forceful manner, as he reveals that daddy’s in the boot of his car. But not before both Nathan and Jamie fall head over heels in lust with Lily, part time barmaid and full time ice queen. But a night out clubbing serves to remind our young misfits that sometimes their abilities are as much a curse as they are a gift....

3.3 Legacy The simple absence of a lead character is such an underutilised yet powerful tool in the TV showrunner’s tool belt. Our brains crave patterns and consistency and when a pattern is broken is such a severe way like a lead actor suddenly disappearing, those same brains can’t help but mistake a simple absence for importance. Sam Esmail was so bold as to tell Martin Wallstrom, a professional actor presumably under contract, “don’t worry so much about this season....

If last night’s opening episode was about setting up the board and pieces for Outcasts, then this second episode sees writer Ben Richards start to gradually move those pieces into significant places. And now that the establishing work is done, he’s freed a little to pen this more sure paced instalment of the show, which gradually builds towards the promise of some big moments ahead. There’s plenty to wrap our heads around, and the show is already establishing that every character has secrets, or blood somewhere on their hands....

Due to the anticipation that surrounds them, drama finales have the potential to be very divisive. In this instance I am fully convinced that the vast majority of people will think that the Peaky Blinders finale is a brilliant way to cap off what has been a great series for the BBC. As with the whole series, the ending is driven entirely by character and their motivations. The bittersweet ending stays true to the characters built over the course of the series....

Well, yes. Yes, that’s exactly what they did. It’s okay, though, because that cartoon property is Phineas and Ferb, which is actually rather good. If you’ve never seen Phineas and Ferb, whether it be that you never heard of it or wrote it off as crap, the 6-year-old series portrays the adventures of two super-smart boys and their three best friends Isabella, Buford, and Baljeet. Their sister Candace is constantly trying to “bust” them by showing their mother what kind of insane activities they’re up to, though every time she fails....

1.9 Finish The Song This is a show that thrives on surprise, and this week’s episode had two of the biggest shock moments of the entire first season. One of these involves the very same Saint, or the Cowboy, or whatever they end up calling him. We open with his vengeance; he killed 77 men at the Battle of Gettysburg, and now he’s about to add to that total with his Walker Colts and his cavalry saber....

5.6 Run, Ali, Run In direct disagreement with this week’s episode title, Run, Ali, Run was more about the Liars’ efforts to keep their recently-returned leader around following the re-emergence of A, rather than doing the smart thing and sending her into the night. The fact is that their lives would be much easier with her gone, especially since all of their enemies are now fully aware that their original target isn’t as dead as they’d previously assumed, but these girls have enjoyed being a fivesome again and aren’t ready to let Alison go just yet....

Last week’s first episode of Psychoville series two was a fabulous opening salvo, and ended on a superbly unexpected jab of horror, in which poor, delusional Joy got a pencil in the neck from a mysterious Scottish detective – I don’t know about you, but I definitely see that one coming. This week opens with a tantalising first glimpse not only of erstwhile actor Robert trapped in a rickety wooden cage – a fate that I’d almost forgotten had befallen him, to be honest – but also the fabled locket that was the frequent talking point in last week’s opener....

Indeed, Rampage is the latest Dwayne Johnson high-concept that features him versus the forces of Mother Nature (good luck, mama, you’re going to need it). Yet it is also another chapter in a larger narrative about Hollywood in the 21st century trying to resurrect a gargantuan fantasy of the 20th. Because while Rampage is technically based on a video game in which gamers got to see their humanoid avatars turn into great beasts, the actual influences on that game (Kong, Godzilla, and even the original The Wolf Man plus a growth spurt) are entirely cinematic....

Right. First of all. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. IS a good game. It’s fun, clever and generally enjoyable. It is also broken, frustrating and a tribute to why publishers should NEVER rush developers. The good: Graphics: It’s no Oblivion, but it’s pretty close. Terrain, character models, day/night cycles, weapon models…all good. Sound: Just brilliant. Everything fits in perfectly with the game world. Characters talk amongst themselves (albeit in Russian), play guitar and mutter to themselves....

It’s made clear throughout this series that the men who trained together at Toccoa and took part in the Normandy landings shared a particularly special bond. The replacements who were drafted in to replace fallen soldiers therefore had to work hard to earn the respect of their fellow men. The liberation of Eindhoven is a joyous occasion for the men as they are hailed as conquering heroes by the Dutch people....

3.5 The Bonding As they wheel Aster’s corpse down to cold storage (presumably), Troi informs Picard and Worf that Aster had a son, Jeremy, who has also lost his father. Picard goes to tell Jeremy that he is now an orphan, and while Worf feels responsible, Picard makes him stay behind. Presumably he reasons that having an 8-foot tower of bone and forehead explain that your mother is dead probably won’t be the most comforting way to find out....

5.5 A Last Good Act Come now, you never thought Jackson would truly desert Reid in his hour of need now, did you? That Reid certainly didn’t was a great moment of levity in a dark episode and also a reminder of the strength of the cast. Seeing the two of them in the cells is a small yet triumphant moment, a sign that our heroes might prevail after all, even with how dire the situation seems....

This review contains spoilers. 5.6 Occurence Reports A full series finale is always a tricky thing to pull off. Not only does the plot of the last few episodes have to be wrapped up, but also a fitting end given to characters that audiences have grown to love over the years. Ripper Street’s final episode, Occurrence Reports, is one that manages to meet both of those needs head on by splitting the episode in two....

2.5 When A Stranger Calls Okay, pick your jaw off of the floor and breathe, because that was one, exhilarting, eventful hour of television. We are only five episodes in to this 22-episode season and the glacial pace that marked Riverdale‘s first season is but a memory at this point, because there’s a lot that went down tonight. Before we get into the meat and potatoes of tonight’s installment, a brief recap: The Black Hood tortures Betty by making her cut her friends out of her life unless he will murder them (she subsquently breaks up with Jughead and BFF Veronica in the harshest manner possible), Alice Cooper is revealed to be what she hates the most – a Southsider, Jughead officially joins the Serpents AND gets a tattoo AND makes out with Toni, most of our main characters get high on Jingle Jangle, Nick St....

2.9 Silent Night, Deadly Night. With Riverdale not returning until the middle of next month, the mid-season finale was seemingly custom-made to keep people talking in the interim. Mission accomplished then, as there is a lot to chew on here. The biggest revelation was that Joseph Conway/Mr. Svenson was himself the Black Hood, punishing the town for their sins to restore the cosmic justice that he unbalanced after causing a lynch mob to bury an innocent man alive years earlier....

In stark contrast to the last great F1-related film – Asif Kapadia’s documentary Senna, whose influence creeps into almost every corner of Ron Howard’s biopic – Rush is hence firmly not the tale of one driver. Instead, the attention of the narrative veers back and forth between the pair, not unlike an on-track duel where neither can quite get the upper hand. It’s an understandable decision to make, however, in so much as it manufactures more in the way of conflict than might otherwise have existed....

Scandal Season 7 Episode 17 Everything we’ve seen, heard, and wondered about has reached a boiling point in tonight’s episode, “Standing in the Sun.” It’s difficult not to think about the current White House dysfunction and lies while watching the final season. If acting alone, one has only their sins to confess. When two or more are involved, truth-telling becomes harried, and a tsunami of collateral damage ensues. No one gets the mountaintop alone, without a team, skeletons, and consequences....