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I wish I could pinpoint exactly what about this story makes it so compelling, but the truth is that it’s a variety of things mixing into the perfect combination. I felt like I knew the characters, everyone from Mark himself down to NASA techs who were only mentioned once. People talk about how books can transport you to another world, and it’s been a long time since my cynical heart believed that to be true....

Remember how, last week, Rita smacked Paul around the head with a baseball bat instead of calling the police? Or even calling Dexter, who’s both her protective boyfriend AND associated with the police? Well, turns out she’s now being charged with assault. Even though supposedly Dexter filed a police report because Paul broke in and threatened her, somehow that got lost in the system and instead Rita’s being charged with assault....

Bruce has been selected for jury duty in a court case that’s going to hit close to home. Mr. Freeze is on trial, but he claims all charges should be dropped against him because Batman used “excessive force.” Now, we all know how old pointy ears can be when he goes rogue. It’s not hard to believe Batman threw one too many punches. Of course, King’s Batman has never been the sort of paranoid fascist we’ve seen in recent big screen appearances....

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 6 Once again, the always excellent Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency takes a step back to examine the aftermath of what came before and lay the groundwork for what’s to come. Set-up episodes are, of course, necessary and shouldn’t always be seen as a drawback, although “Girl Power” does tread water a bit to keep pace across all storylines. In some ways the slowdown allows viewers to catch their breath from last week’s amazing love fest, but viewers are itching for Bart to join in the fun and to learn the fate of Hobbs....

When the streamer enlisted Groening to create a new series, he decided to take characters he’d been sketching for years and create a new world far removed from The Simpsons and Futurama. Groening is traveling back to medieval times for Disenchantment, which follows a foul-mouthed, partygirl princess who no longer wants to adhere to the rules set forth by her royal family. Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) voices Princess Bean, who finds friends to cause mischief with along the way: an elf named Elfo (Nat Faxon), and a demon named Luci (Eric Andre)....

This Doctor Who story, as the title suggests, quickly finds the Doctor, Nardole and Bill landing on Mars, and it’s an odd situation they find themselves in the midst of. On the one hand, there are some Victorian soldiers, on Mars for some reason. And on the other, there’s a classic Who monster, whose identity has long been given away in the promos (but I’ll still err on the side of caution)....

I’ll also partially take back what I said last week about attempts to squeeze in a touching romance in too short a space of time, and the last scenes together were surprisingly moving, although it was undermined somewhat by the ridiculous flash-forward in life. Jessica Not Stevenson’s cold fury at the Doctor for bringing death to her life, though, was raw enough to leave it on an effective dramatic note....

In some ways, writing a spoiler-free review of the new Doctor Who episode, Let’s Kill Hitler, is about as easy as it gets. Crammed into the 45 minutes are so many details, so much storytelling and so much interesting material, that inevitably we have to veer on the side of caution, for fear of spoiling the episode. That need for caution kicks in so early in the episode, that it’s best we tell you as little as possible, story-wise at least, about it....

For many gamers, the best Wii U titles exist in this strange area that’s close to legend. You’ve heard others speak about them in hushed tones of awe, but having never had the opportunity to play them yourself, you’re forced to fill in some of the gaps regarding what your own experience with the game will be like. Initially released for the Wii U in 2014, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the second Donkey Kong Country game from Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios (the first being Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D for the 3DS)....

As Downsizing (which Payne co-wrote with frequent partner Jim Taylor) opens, a group of Norwegian scientists have discovered a way to miniaturize living beings–including humans. The world then begins a 200-year plan of transitioning almost everyone to five inches in height as a way to ease overpopulation and save the world’s increasingly fragile environment, with the downsized moving into specially constructed and seemingly perfect little communities. One incentive is that money goes much further when you live smaller, which tips the scales for struggling Omaha couple Paul and Audrey Safranek (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig), who decide to go through with the irreversible process....

Many Dragon Ball fans have taken exception to the series’ slow tendency to become “The Goku and Vegeta Show.” While it makes sense for a series about power to focus on its two most powerful characters, this is a universe that has literally invested hundreds of episodes on a wide and eclectic cast of warriors. Spreading the wealth wouldn’t exactly be the worst thing. “I’m Here Too!” not only functions as a successful Goku/Vegeta installment, but it’s also just a lot of fun....

Ryan Gosling is the archetypal Man with No Name, an anonymous character who crashes cars in Hollywood movies by day, helps out at a garage owned by his friend Shannon (Bryan Cranston), and earns extra money as a getaway driver by night. Calm and detached, everything the driver does is carefully planned and economical; his getaway driving is carried out with split-second accuracy, he lives alone in an austere LA apartment, and seldom says two words when none will do....

As a whole, the series is greater than the sum of its parts. At times, it’s a well constructed human drama. But, it also has moments where it becomes far too complex and up itself a little, and basically turns into a Lost prototype. Most notably when the planet’s native Terians are involved and the psychic dream sequences start. A plot point that makes things much too trippy and hard to understand....

The moment was truly special — no matter what team has your allegiance — because it was a reminder that the greatest exits are reserved for those who set forth virtues that are larger than life. These moments are rare, because men who play the game the “right way,” as Cal Ripken did, or exhibit the bravery of a Lou Gehrig, don’t come along often. And then the ball drops out of his hand....

Having just watched the episode, I’m struggling to work out how its story fits in with the show’s premise as a whole. Episodes is about the making of a bastardised remake of an acclaimed sitcom. This episode is about network executive Merc Lapidus’s father dying. A character who has never been seen and has no connection to events in the series whatsoever. The only real standout scene is a nice little moment between Beverly and Sean at the funeral where the implications of their separation really hit home....

This feature contains major spoilers for Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. Centring around Ansel Elgort’s Baby, a getaway driver who does his best work while listening to a personal soundtrack, it seems like the film Wright was born to make. He had the idea for the film after making his first feature, the lesser known western spoof A Fistful Of Fingers, and explored it further in his music video for Mint Royale’s Blue Song in 2002....

I liked seeing Hal step up and say to Tom that he didn’t need to shoulder the burden every time; that’s something Tom needed to hear, and it makes his character more realistic. Although his plan to escape the ghettos will probably yield the most exciting scenes in the next few episodes, I have to say his convenient stroll around the Espheni ship gathering intelligence was a bit too easy....

The reveal came during a recent live stream in which Matsuno played through some of Final Fantasy Tactics and shared some information on the game’s development. During that stream, he confirmed that the Final Fantasy Tactics team once began development on a direct sequel (unsurprisingly titled Final Fantasy Tactics 2). According to Matsuno, the plan was to convert Final Fantasy Tactics‘ 3D graphics to a more 2D style that utilized a hexagonal map....

1.12 The Wolves Of Deep Brooklyn Episode 12, rather than being a standalone exercise, picks up the pieces from the mid-season finale, where Henry killed someone after being manipulated by Adam. The actual investigation is therefore mostly window dressing for him dealing with that, his return to work, and how that ties in with his relationship with Abe. The inspiration for the murder is mostly taken from The Wolf Of Wall Street as the title hints, and they convinced William Baldwin to appear as uber-confident stock manipulator Oliver Clausten....