Film Review: Epic

Unfortunately for Epic, having a couple of promising ideas doesn’t always mean that something can be built that’ll hold together as a complete film. There is cool stuff within this movie that’ll be appreciated by both adults and kids but it’s lacking in many important areas and it’s likely that much of the audience will leave a little disappointed. Full of intriguing prospects and engrossing animation, it’s easy to see how Epic could’ve worked. However, it’s all a bit flimsy, with dull characters, lazy dialogue, comedic misfires and the type of plotting that even the younger viewers will find frustratingly predictable and unsatisfying.

Film Review: Fast & Furious 6

With Fast & Furious 6, this long-running franchise has become a fully fledged superhero series, complete with memorable larger-than-life characters, a rich mythology and huge action sequences that are, surprisingly, more about character than they are about sheer thrills. This film is not without its faults, but it also deserves to be commended as a streamlining of the ideas that the previous films have dealt with. It’s also an exhilarating watch, and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for something really riveting that is full of outrageous spectacle.

Midseason TV Review: Mad Men – Season 6

When Peggy essentially tells Don to grow up (she doesn’t use those exact words but words very much to that effect) in Mad Men’s latest episode, ‘Man with a Plan’, I almost cheered. It’s no mistake that Don is being increasingly called out on his self-centred attitude; as always, the world is changing around him while he stubbornly tries to stay the same. What’s interesting about the first half of Season Six, though, is that while Don is still the centre of the show’s attention, so much is getting done without him really contributing at all.

TV Review: The Fall – ‘Dark Descent’

The premise of slick new BBC serial killer drama The Fall doesn’t read like anything groundbreaking. While the rhythms of police drama are familiar to most television viewers, though, this one makes it very clear early in the first episode that it plans to be distinctly different to what we’ve seen before. Most shows that follow these type of stories focus on the hunt, The Fall strives to spend as much time with the hunted as with the hunter and it works hard to draw parallels between them and their meticulous approach to what they do.

TV Review: Game of Thrones – ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair’

It’s always very interesting when George R. R. Martin writes an episode of Game of Thrones, especially for those of us who have read the books. It’s intriguing to see which characters he chooses to spend more time with, how he writes those that aren’t point-of-view figures in the novels and how he works with the changes that the show has made to the source material. ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair’ may be yet another place-setting episode, but with great writing from Martin and strong direction from Michelle McLaren, it’s an immensely satisfying one.

TV Review: Doctor Who – ‘Nightmare in Silver’

Doctor Who tries to make the Cybermen more frightening than they have been in the past and struggles to achieve much at all. ‘Nightmare in Silver’ is a disappointing mess that I’d prefer to forget. http://twitchfilm.com/2013/05/review-doctor-who-s7e13-nightmare-in-silver-or-an-underwhelming-episode-sees-the-doctor-battle-cyber.html

Film Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Withholding a film’s plot details is becoming a rare thing these days. J.J. Abrams, though, remains one of the most secretive filmmakers around. It’s something that really pays off when you realise just how little of his latest movie, Star Trek Into Darkness, has been revealed through trailers and other promotional materials. This is a blockbuster with loads of surprises in store while also being a brilliantly crafted screenplay that provides the most fitting sequel possible to Abrams’ rebooted Star Trek. There’s loads to enjoy here, Into Darkness is a wonderfully paced thrill-ride filled with memorable (often funny) dialogue and exciting action.

TV Review: Justified – ‘Hole in the Wall’

It’s all too easy to forget just how damn entertaining Justified is. It is easily one of the strongest and most enjoyable dramas on television and it feels like it has been gone from our screens for far too long. With ‘Hole in the Wall’, the assured premiere episode to its fourth season, the show wastes no time in reminding us just how much of a delight it can be to watch. As ever, Justified finds the delicate balance between serialised and episodic storytelling, providing us with a great deal to keep us gripped in the moment while clearly building the foundations for the season’s overarching narrative.

TV Review: The L.A. Complex – ‘Down In L.A.’

When the first episode of The L.A. Complex begins, it almost seems to be a show full of familiar stereotypes. It’s smarter than that, though. Even in the premiere, ‘Down in L.A.’, it proves itself capable of taking characters who feel like something we’ve seen before and coming at them from a fresh and interesting angle. This isn’t a show without faults and I’m not sure that its story is something I’m keen to watch that much more of, but it sure knows what it’s doing with the character drama and has the makings of a promising series.

Book Review: Fringe – September’s Notebook

September’s Notebook is not only an ambitious creation that technically exists within the world of Fringe, it’s also a rewarding and entertaining way to look back over the excellent five seasons of the sci-fi drama. It’s something fans are sure to value. http://www.cultbox.co.uk/reviews/books-a-cds/6848-fringe-septembers-notebook-book-review