This review contains spoilers There’s hardly any light in Rillington Place, real or figurative. The first episode of this three-part drama based on true-life serial killer John Christie is an exercise in dread. As the hour passes, the walls of that dingy terrace seem to close in on Ethel, played movingly here with dismal vulnerability by Samantha Morton. Tim Roth is just as strong as the sinisterly restrained Christie, a contained character whose capacity for violence is only glimpsed twice in episode one when he shouts at, and later chokes, Ethel....

The titular Frank is an ex-cat burglar whose memory is failing. Since his adult children are off living their own lives and can’t care for him, his son decides a new-fangled off-brand Asimo would make the perfect care assistant. Despite Frank’s initial protestations that the robot is a “death machine”, he soon figures out that while it might adhere to the Three Laws of Robotics, it isn’t so concerned about any federal or state laws – so when the robot insists that Frank develops a project to keep his mind active, he teaches it all the skills it needs to become the perfect partner in crime....

Ask the folks who work on WGN America’s Salem about Marilyn Manson, and they will tell you he’s a mystery, an enigma. While arranging our interview, one of the promotional people from the show spoke in hushed tones about Marilyn’s “unbelievable” confessions on an old Celebrity Ghost Stories. Brannon Braga, the creator of the witching horror series, now in its third season, meanwhile told Den of Geek that “nothing truly bizarre happened” on the Salem set until Manson came along....

Where better to surrender yourself to a flow of images than in a theatre where you’re at the whim of those images? Blu-rays may have ushered in a new era of really nice looking films at home, but they’re still prisoners to that pause button, when really it should be other way round. Cinema, as well as being able to make film big and beautiful, has the power to hold you captive, rooted in your seat....

Episode two of Scorpion! And do any of the malaise-y, tired, overdone aspects of last week’s pilot get toned down and refined this week? In fact, there’s now even a pretty heavy-handed (albeit succinct) introduction sequence in place that gets you up to date on the show’s premise. This sequence’s hands are so heavy though, they’re dragging on the floor. It makes sure to tell you that Walter’s IQ is higher than Einstein’s, as well as outright show you each member of Team Scorpion alongside a name cyron as their “special ability” is outlined....

Time is a funny old thing if you’re a superhero in print. The Silver Age of Marvel Comics, which introduced such stalwarts as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and Iron Man, started out pretty much in real-time with characters aging at the same rate as their non-fictional readers. Thus Peter Parker, introduced as a school kid in 1962, went through high school, graduated, and went to college, all within a few years of his debut....

As I stated last week, I have yet to hitch a ride on the Game of Thrones bandwagon. Some would argue that there’s a hole in my life. Cartman and Butters might say that hole can only be filled with “non-threatening” flaccid wieners. Helping to keep this story fresh despite all the delays are South Park newcomers George R.R. (RRRRrrrrr) Martin, author of the books that spawned Game of Thrones, and of course Microsoft’s own Bill Gates, who just had to get in on the console wars....

Loosing Jo last week to a televised terrorist campaign, the team are dealing with their loss in their own way. Ruth and Harry are thrusting and parrying around each other, speaking but not really ‘talking’ to each other, Ros is having sleepless nights and Lucas falls into the arms of his CIA counterpart Sarah Caulfield (or Nancy Drew as Ros calls her) in a scene that can only really be described as ‘tits and tats’....

Star Trek Beyond, on the other hand, finally sees Kirk and his crew head off into the final frontier. The emphasis on fast-pacing and action from the previous two movies is still front-and-centre, but Beyond still feels more like an episode of the Original Series writ large than either of JJ Abrams’ earlier entries. You may have read about the behind-the-scenes changing of the guard on Beyond; Simon Pegg and Doug Jung took over as screenwriters, while Roberto Orci (who co-wrote Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness) is now a producer....

Nala Se is a pretty strong villain – she has her reasons, she’s being played herself, Fives is ready to shoot her, and Shaak Ti is her foil while also agreeing with some of her methods. On the other hand, in Shaak Ti’s one chance to speak to Fives privately she says “It is not a matter of beliefs, Fives, it is simply the right thing to do,” which sadly doesn’t really deepen Shaak Ti’s character....

(NB: This episode broadcasts on Saturday 14th November in the UK) While Yoda, Mace and the rest of the Jedi council are no Kitchener and are more than willing to get their hands dirty from time to time, cunning, guile and intrigue can be used more effectively than ploughing troops into a situation, and this week the machinations and political manoeuvring do, indeed, take over as Yoda finds that the power of a pretty smile and a bare mid-riff are equally useful in a war....

Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 8 I feel like I’ve lost the plot a bit with Rebels. Maybe it was the two-week interval between episodes, or the fact that Thrawn is relegated to the background again, or that the Rebel fleet still doesn’t seem to have a very organized front. “Iron Squadron” tries to solve some of these problems, introducing Commander Sato’s nephew Mart Mattin and showing how Rex and the Rebel crew have joined together, but the episode’s central thesis gets a bit lost....

Subversion Dr Rush is having trouble sleeping, and it would seem it’s not a dream that’s keeping him up, but a memory. Not his own memory, however, as Col Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) has been selling secrets to the Lucian Alliance, and a little bleeding over has occurred from his memory to Dr Rush’s. When Col Young (Louis Ferreira) is told of what Dr Rush saw, he jumps at the chance to catch him in the act....

Incursion Part 1 We left things last week at a ‘to be continued’ juncture, with Col Telford’s (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Dr Rush’s (Robert Carlyle) lives hanging in the balance. The Lucian Alliance had Rush held captive, forcing him to work on a way to connect a Stargate on a Naquadria-filled planet to the Destiny – much like Icarus from the first episode of the season. Col Telford was being held in a room on the Destiny, with the atmosphere being sucked out at Col Young’s (Louis Ferreira) orders....

As it turns out, the crew he hires is led by Charlie Venner (Alexander Skarsgard), who at one point was the high school sweetheart of Amy. Thing is, Charlie’s still got eyes for Amy, as do most men in the town. When the stares turn into leers and catcalls, and the local color gets to be a bit too much for David, he puts his foot down, only to find out that it takes more than a little stomp to defend house and home from those who wish to engage in violence....

Supergirl Season 3 Episode 17 Supergirl is hurtling toward the season finale with yet another strong episode. Sam and Julia fend off the emotional demons of the people their world killers killed, and Kara pushes herself to the brink during a magical eclipse. There’s also a hefty dose of betrayal afoot, with Lena getting busted for hiding Sam and a whole lot more, Kara asking James to spy on his girlfriend, and James ratting out Supergirl to Lena....

On leaving the screening the same person asked me if I thought it was precious time well spent, my response was: “I’m just trying to work out the best way of writing the review as quickly as possible, without wasting too much of my own time.” Indeed, why bother spending precious hours trying to compose an original, funny and entertaining review when the film itself contains none of those features....

While on the search for the First Blade, Sam and Dean follow the blade’s trail until they realize an ex-member of the Men of Letters has a hold of it. This guy had ended up on the MoL naughty list for good reason—he abuses the spells he knows so well for his own gain. It was interesting to see a little Men of Letters history brought back into the story, especially since Sam and Dean are staying in their old headquarters....

We start in Oak Park, a stone’s throw from my my beloved Chicago, although not close enough to see the skyline – that must be a side effect of being demon infested. Another must be preferring the outskirts of college town Lincoln to the more prey-filled Chicago. There are people who slothfully watch TV in Lincoln! And women who have shoe-envy! And can be convinced to kill for shoes without knowing if they are her size!...

Supernatural Season 13 Episode 13 What do you get when you mix the Prince of Darkness, a faith healer, the new King of Hell, and an overworked prophet? A pretty damn good episode of Supernatural, that’s what. As usual, Lucifer handled the one-liners with ease. “What are you gawking at, you never seen the Prince of Darkness before?” he angrily says as he walks through a town nearly defeated. Lucifer’s power level has gotten so low that he starts feeling human needs such as hunger and cold – and he doesn’t like it one bit....