I ain't afraid of no ghost, so I'll be live-tweeting GHOSTBUSTERS tomorrow!

Hastened by the fact Harold Ramis sadly passes away this week, I'm going to live-tweet the film that defined him for my generation: Ghostbusters. He was arguably involved in more revolutionary films (Animal House) and one better film (Groundhog Day), but nothing entered the public consciousness quite like 1984's supernatural comedy. Its iconic "no-ghost" logo is right up there with the Batman and Superman symbols in terms of global brand recognition. Ghostbusters was a childhood favourite of mine, and I haven't seen it since its initial release on DVD, and never in HD. It's also the 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters this very summer, so it feels like an appropriate time to give its Blu-ray a spin.

Script report: GOTHAM; it may not have Batman, but could it still have wings?

I've read the pilot script of Fox's new Batman prequel drama, Gotham. This was the 'second revised network draft' (dated 31 Jan '14), so I'm sure it's gone through some changes since then. Rob Bricken at io9 wrote a spoiler-filled review of this script a few days ago, and practically tore it apart, so I thought I'd provide a counterpoise...

INSIDE NO. 9, 1.4 – 'Last Gasp'

written by Steve Pemberton & Reece Shearsmith | directed by David Kerr

There was a wonderfully twisted idea at the heart of "Last Gasp", but it wasn't enough to spur push this half-hour to great comic or dramatic heights. The set-up was sublime, the central dilemma amusing, and the execution typically brilliant, but this instalment of Inside No.9 felt weaker than the previous three.

Goodbye LOVEFiLM, hello Amazon

LOVEFiLM became Amazon Prime Instant Video yesterday, and my account was transferred automatically. I can't really complain, as Amazon's website is more intuitive and navigable than LOVEFiLM's ever was. My monthly subscription charge also hasn't changed, but I have access to even more content and can choose to rent films and TV shows (as you can through iTunes), which Amazon's closest UK rival Netflix doesn't offer... yet? It's already obvious Amazon have more recent films than Netflix, that's for sure.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 5.3 & 5.4 – 'The Replacement' & 'Out of My Mind'

XANDER: Yeah, maybe it's definitely time to start lookin' for a new place. Something a little nicer. Buffy, you've been to Hell, they had one-bedrooms, right?

As I mentioned in my preamble last week, fifth seasons can be a time when you start to notice TV shows repeating themselves—and the trick for writers is to give their audience something a little different than anticipated, wherever possible. "THE REPLACEMENT" achieved that, for the most part, as Xander (Nicholas Brendan) was shot in a junk yard by a demon Toth (Michael Bailey Smith), and woke up the next morning to discover an "evil twin" had taken over his life. The kicker being that Xander's doppelgänger was demonstrably more suave, mature and confident—earning himself a promotion at work, the keys to a beautiful new apartment, and the deeper adoration of girlfriend Anya (Emma Caulfield).

Trailer: GODZILLA; destroying $#!t for your entertainment this summer

I think my most anticipated "summer movie" is now GODZILLA, which is surprising given how the last remake of this Japanese pop-icon was Roland Emmerich's poorly-received 1998 effort. (The one that decided to make the eponymous monster resemble a reptilian Bruce Forsyth.) Japanese studio Toho even chose to officially designate the monster in Emmerich's blockbuster as Zilla, not Godzilla. Ow, burned.

HELIX pulled off-air by Channel 5

Syfy's contagion drama Helix hasn't attracted many viewers in the UK, where the show airs Monday nights on Channel 5. Or rather, did air on Monday nights. It's now been unceremoniously yanked off-air (mid-season) to return "later in the year", demoted to lowly digital channel 5*.

RIP Harold Ramis (1944-2014)

I only write obituaries for showbiz talents that meant something to me, in some way, and so here's one for the multi-talented Harold Ramis. He was best-known for his role as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and its 1989 sequel, which he wrote with co-star Dan Aykroyd; as well as co-writing/directing timeless comedy classic Groundhog Day (1993). He also wrote Stripes (1981), Caddyshack (1980), and the seminal National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). In his later career, he directed Analyze This (1999), The Ice Harvest (2005), and four episodes of NBC's The Office.

TV Picks: 24 February – 2 March 2014 (Bluestone 42, Hair, Jonathan Creek, Revolution, Silk, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, etc.)

Below are my picks of the week's most notable shows, returning/premiering on UK screens...

MSN TV: Sky Atlantic's TRUE DETECTIVE

Over at MSN TV: I've reviewed the premiere of HBO's TRUE DETECTIVE, starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as two detectives on the trail of a serial killer in mid-'90s Louisiana, which debuted in the UK on Sky Atlantic last night. (This is a rewrite of my original review, coloured by the fact I've now seen five episodes ahead.)

Anything new from HBO never fails to elicit high expectations and excitement, such is the case with True Detective. It also has the advantage of starring two Hollywood heavyweights in Harrelson and McConaughey, plus a short eight-hour commitment with the promise season two will tell a different story.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

NBC order HEROES REBORN

NBC have announced the return of their superhero drama Heroes, which was cancelled in 2010 after four seasons. Creator Tim Kring will return to produce HEROES REBORN; a 13-episode "event miniseries" scheduled to air in 2015.

LOVEFiLM Instant re-branded as Amazon Prime Instant Video

The US-owned Amazon bought the UK's LOVEFiLM service in 2011, but now the two services are starting to merge in the wake of Netflix's phenomenal success in the UK and Germany.

Amazon Prime and LOVEFiLM will amalgamate on 26 February, to create a Prime Instant Video (PIV) service that effectively replaces LOVEFiLM Instant (the part of the company dealing with video-on-demand content, rivalling Netflix). What this means is that customers will be able to unlimited stream 150,000 films and TV shows through PIV and utilise Amazon's Prime next-day delivery service when ordering Amazon products and renting Kindle e-books (through their Kindle Lending Library, which issues one e-book per month).

Premiere review: Sky1's THE SMOKE

There's hasn't been a fire-fighting drama worth getting excited about since ITV's London's Burning was extinguished in 2002 (after a 14-year run), but Sky have decided to fill this gap in the UK schedules with slick new series The Smoke, from the makers of Broadchurch and The Tunnel.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 5.1 & 5.2 – 'Buffy vs. Dracula' & 'Real Me'

DRACULA: Do you know why you cannot resist?
BUFFY: 'Cause you're famous?

Whenever a US TV show reaches its fifth season, it's a worrying time for the audience. This is often the moment when a good show (that found its identity and an appreciative audience), turning in consistently strong episodes, begins a downward spiral. There are only so many years anything can stay at the top of its game, before the writers grapple with the fact they've used their best ideas and are embroiled in a professional obligation to keep their golden goose laying eggs. How many of those eggs will be inedible, going forward? Okay, moving on from the egg analogy...

INSIDE NO. 9, 1.3 – 'Tom & Gerri'

After three episodes, it's clear Inside No.9 is largely defined by restrictions. As each episodes takes us behind the door of various residences, this is perhaps to be expected. It's given the show a theatrical feel (as every instalment could be performed as a one-act play), and that feeling continues with "Tom & Gerri"—although it's the least restrictive of the three to have aired, as things aren't largely confined to a wardrobe and dialogue wasn't in short supply.

Trailer: Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Trailer 1)

When will the wheels come off Marvel's billion-$ wagon? They've been cranking out hit after hit since 2008's Iron Man, and even the lesser films (Thor, Captain America) and sequels (Iron Man 2) have turned a big profit. And if there's ever a serious misstep, it seems likely the occasional Avengers team-ups will subsume any lost earnings. The company's now into its so-called 'Phase 2', having released Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World last year, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier primed for March. But now the risks truly begin, because the studio's late-summer tent-pole is GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY...

Pilot review: The CW's STAR-CROSSED

written by Meredith Averill | directed by Gary Fleder

The title may refer to a Shakespearian quote from Romeo & Juliet, but The CW's new romantic sci-fi drama is clearly more indebted to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight and the network's own Beauty & the Beast. Jokes are always made about the number of vampire shows choking the airwaves, but the broader sub-genre of 'supernatural romances' must outnumber them 10:1. Haven't we had our fill of these things?

Letterboxd: ROBOCOP (1987) • RUSH (2013) • THE PURGE (2013)

★★★★★ (out of five)

I bore people with this story, but ROBOCOP is a formative movie for me because of the sequence where blue-eyed cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) has his body torn apart by gunfire from a group of howling, reprobate criminals, led by ringleader Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith).

It was a moment of cinema that introduced me to the brutalities of the art-form, and to this day I'm bewildered my parents let me watch this at the tender age of 8 or 9. It was a moment of bad parenting, it's fair to say, and one never repeated (I had to sneakily watch things like ALIENS, PREDATOR and HIGHLANDER on VCR in my bedroom), but nevertheless I'm grateful in the sense ROBOCOP became a significant viewing experience.

TV Picks: 17-23 February 2014 (Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Arrow, Brit Awards, Doll & Em, Moone Boy, The Smoke, True Detective, etc.)

Below are my picks of the week's most notable shows, returning/premiering to UK screens...

Sponsored video: MACHETE KILLS

Remember that fake trailer for "Mexploitation" thriller Machete, which originally played between Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (double-billed as a modern-day "Grindhouse" movie-going experience, which flopped in US cinemas back in 2007)? More people would have seen it on DVD or through YouTube. But I'm sure you know it actually became a full-blown movie, reverse-engineered from the low-budget trailer, and released in 2010.

Machete (starring From Dusk Till Dawn's Danny Trejo as a former Mexican Federale who favours his namesake blade) wasn't a huge hit upon its release (grossing just $44m worldwide), but surprisingly positive reviews have perhaps inspired an unlikely sequel, MACHETE KILLS.

TV News: DIG, DOWNTON ABBEY, LONDON SPY, PEAKY BLINDERS

• Tim Kring (Heroes) has a new TV project in development called DIG, which will star Jason Isaacs (Awake). Kring's output since Heroes season 1 has been shaky at best (anyone remember Touch?), but he's partnered with Gideon Raff (originator of Homeland, who adapted it with Howard Gordon, who earlier worked with Kring on Strange World in 1999). Dig is one of those "event series", containing just six episodes, and concerns a FBI agent (Isaacs) investigating a female archaeologist's murder in Jerusalem, only to uncover a 2000-year-old conspiracy. The show will debut on the USA Network later this year. [via TVLine]

DOCTOR WHO in 3D: 'The Day of The Doctor' revisited

I recently treated myself to a 47" 3D television, and have naturally been trying out some 3D content at home. Someone already bought me The Hobbit 3D Blu-ray, but I also bought cheap 3D demo discs from eBay, and couldn't resist buying 3D Pacific Rim from Amazon. However, my new television has also provided an opportunity for me to watch last year's Doctor Who 50th anniversary special in 3D, as intended, so I thought I'd lay down some quick thoughts below:

Firstly, the menu and navigation of "The Day of The Doctor" Blu-ray is abysmal in every respect. Considering this is such an important release for the long-running show, I'm saddened more care and creativity wasn't involved. Or any creativity. Maybe there just wasn't time, as they wanted to get this disc released quickly, but are you seriously telling me nobody could even include a static image of the one-sheet poster? There isn't even a pop-up menu available while you're watching, so if you want to change settings you have to leave the show and hop back to the main menu (as you would on DVD, like a home theatre Neanderthal).

Trailer: Showtime's PENNY DREADFUL

Showtime have teased us for weeks, but here's the full-length trailer for their upcoming "psychosexual horror show" PENNY DREADFUL. This stars Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin) and Eva Green (Casino Royale), in a story that finds various 'classic monsters' embroiled in the same story: vampire Dracula, immortal muse Dorian Grey (Reeve Carney), the Wolfman, and Frankenstein's Monster (Skyfall's Roy Kinnear).

Question: I still think Netflix's business model is overrated, don't you?

It's a year since Netflix released the first season of House of Cards, and it was most people's first experience with their unique business model: simultaneous, instantaneous, global distribution of every episode to subscribers. It was a game-changer for lots of people, as the idea of an on-demand streaming service creating big-budget, award-winning drama would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. 2013 belonged to Netflix in many ways; at least in terms of their ability to become a talking point in media circles.

TV News: The CW renewals, GOTHAM casting, TRUE DETECTIVE, BBC America's Robin Hood drama NOTTINGHAM, David Fincher's UTOPIA remake

• In wholly expected news, The CW have renewed superhero drama ARROW for a third season. Other hits like The Vampire Diaries, its spin-off The Originals, Supernatural, and Mary Queen of Scots period drama Reign will also be back next season. [via DigitalSpy]

INSIDE NO. 9, 1.2 – 'A Quiet Night In'

written by Steve Pemberton & Reece Shearsmith | directed by David Kerr

It's fair to say the most popular episode of Psychoville (certainly the most inventive) was episode 4 of series 1, which appeared to be filmed in one long continuous take (although actually there was one surreptitious cut). It was a masterpiece of performance and choreography for both the actors and film crew, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's similar gimmick in his movie Rope. The response to that episode was so favourable that Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have come up with another novelty half-hour for their new series Inside No9, as "A Quiet Night In" unfurled without (much) dialogue.

MSN TV: BBC2's LINE OF DUTY (series 2)

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the return of BBC2's cop drama LINE OF DUTY, which has Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes) and Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) joining the cast.

British TV has a habit of recommissioning dramas that appeared to have a limited storyline. Line of Duty was a 2010 five-part drama by Jed Mercurio about esteemed alpha male cop Tony Gates being investigated for corruption. It ended in a manner that removed all possibility of his character's return... but despite this, Line of Duty is back for seconds. The concept does allow for different anti-corruption cases, to be fair, but the worrying thing is that Line of Duty primarily worked the first time around because James was so charismatic and compelling as anti-hero DCI Gates.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

MSN TV: ITV's MIDSOMER MURDERS - 'The Killings of Copenhagen'

Over at MSN today: I've reviewed the special 100th episode of ITV 'whodunut?' MIDSOMER MURDERS, which involved a case that took the detectives to Denmark's capital Copenhagen, home of The Killing...

Midsomer Murders is one of those workhorse dramas that feels like it's been around forever, but is only now celebrating its hundredth episode. I remain convinced that it’s missing an extra zero. Debuting in 1997, this murder-mystery drama (based on a novel by Caroline Graham) has produced 16 series, and shows no sign of stopping. It has endured following the departure of John Nettles, the original lead; he bowed out as DCI Tom Barnaby in 2010 and Neil Dudgeon succeeded him as cousin DCI John Barnaby.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

Letterboxd: THE LONE RANGER (2013); ROOM 237 (2013); ELYSIUM (2013)

★★★½ (out of five)

The PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN "dream team" reassemble for another attempt to transform iffy source material into box-office gold, despite most modern Westerns not clicking with mass audiences.

Many of POTC's ingredients are present and correct, because this film shares a director (Gore Verbinski), producer (Jerry Bruckheimer), studio (Disney), writers (Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio), and a leading actor (Johnny Depp). It has a similar energy and dark sense of humour, too, particularly in the inspired set-pieces, while Depp again tries to steal the spotlight as "sidekick" (which, lest we forget, is broadly what Captain Sparrow was intended as).

Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed THE LONE RANGER (bloated and all) because it succeeded in turning an archaic radio/TV series into something thrilling and witty, at times, it's also clear where its many shortcomings lie.

TV News: 24, ITV's CHASING SHADOWS, BBC3's CUCKOO & Fox's GOTHAM

• Judy Davis quit 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY last week, but it's now been revealed the Australian actress has been replaced by Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones, above-right). She will now play Margo, the British widow of an infamous terrorist, and I'm sure she'll do a fantastic job. [via EW]

Buffyverse catchups returning soon

I know many of you have been enjoying my occasional catch-ups of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, ongoing since August 2012, during which time I've digested a combined total of five seasons. They're relatively short, off-the-cuff reviews, written from the heart immediately after viewing, with only a tiny amount of research involved. The idea was to fill a gap in my pop-culture knowledge, but in a way that reflects a newcomer to those shows, only 15-years later—when David Boreanaz has developed some middle-age heft, Sarah Michelle Gellar's neck is wrinkling, and Willow's married Wesley in real life. Jinkies!

MSN TV: Fox's THE WALKING DEAD, 4.9 - 'After'

Over at MSN TV: I've reviewed the mid-season premiere of AMC's THE WALKING DEAD, which premiered in the UK on Fox last night (just 24-hours after its US bow).

'After' was a far quieter episode than anticipated, but that felt right given the chaos and emotion we ended on a few weeks back. Rick's now severely injured, his group have all departed, his baby daughter's been eaten (or so it seems), and his son's having to fend for them both after taking refuge in an empty suburban house. A fair amount of this episode focused on Carl's reaction to his father's failure - which manifested in sarcasm, developed into rage, then cooled into acceptance. I love the idea of a young boy forced to mature ahead of his time, raised in such a harsh world (where a snazzy TV's now only useful because the power cord can secure a door), but it's a shame Chandler Riggs isn't a better actor.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

MSN TV: Channel 4's BABYLON

Today over at MSN TV: I've reviewed the feature-length Danny Boyle-directed comedy-drama BABYLON, starring James Nesbitt, Brit Marling, Paterson Joseph, Jill Halfpenny & Jonny Sweet.

Anything written by Bafta-winning Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain (Peep Show, Fresh Meat) instantly gets my attention, but throw in Oscar-winner Danny Boyle as the director of Babylon's pilot and my expectations were understandably inflated. This trio of talent perhaps drew a very impressive cast to Babylon, headlined by James Nesbitt as Chief Constable Richard Miller, who decided to give his police force an image overhaul by hiring US "new media" guru Liz Garvey (Brit Marling). She's given the unenviable job of improving public relations.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

TV Picks: 10-16 February 2014 (BAFTA, House of Cards, Line of Duty, Nurse Jackie, Fleming, WPC 56, Southland, Suspects, Troy, Walking Dead, etc.)

Below are my picks of the week's most notable shows, premiering/returning to UK screens...

TV News: DMZ, GOTHAM, THE MUSKETEERS, PREACHER

• Comic books seem to be the main source of inspiration in television right now (blame The Walking Dead), so it's no surprise that DC are attempting to bring Brian Wood's 72-issue comic DMZ to life on Syfy. This story was set in a near-future New York City embroiled in a second American Civil War between the United States of America and the Free States of America, which has resulted in Manhattan becoming a demilitarised zone. DMZ will focus on a photo journalist who finds himself trapped in the DMZ, becoming both a celebrity and target thanks to his reporting. Andre and Maria Jacquemetton (Mad Men) are writing the pilot, with David Heyman (Harry Potter, Gravity) producing alongside Jeffrey Clifford (Up in the Air). [via ScreenRant]

Pilot reviews: Amazon's MOZART IN THE JUNGLE, THE REBELS & TRANSPARENT

I've already reviewed Chris Carter's THE AFTER and detective drama BOSCH (Amazon's 2014 pilots that most appealed to me in terms of concept and the talent involved), but wanted to briefly cover the remaining three...

Pilot review: Amazon's BOSCH

written by Michael Connelly & Eric Overmyer (based on characters and novels created by Michael Connelly) | directed by Jim McKay

I've never even heard of author Michael Connelly's LAPD detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch (Titus Welliver), who's starred in 17 novels since his 1992 debut The Black Echo. I doubt I'm alone, but unfamiliarity with the source material shouldn't impede enjoyment of Amazon's gritty pilot, BOSCH, which finally brought the character to life after Connelly regained the rights a few years ago.

Without any knowledge of Bosch's literary adventures (although I'm aware this pilot mixed in elements from City of Bones and The Concrete Blonde), I viewed this episode on its own merits. My general apathy towards crime procedurals is well-known, but I was pleased Bosch overcame some of my issues with the genre. The biggest boon is the casting of Welliver; an actor who commands the screen with quiet authority, finally given a leading role after memorable appearances on the likes of Lost and The Good Wife. This show's success rests squarely on his shoulders, and Welliver rises to the challenges without being showy about it.

Pilot review: Amazon's THE AFTER

written & directed by Chris Carter

Chris Carter was the golden boy of '90s TV after creating The X Files, but never delivered a follow-up to equal its success with the mainstream. The closest he came was with crime drama Millennium, but even that only truly flourished in its second season, when he handed the reigns to Glen Morgan and James Wong while he worked on The X Files movie. Carter's been in semi-retirement since consigning Mulder & Scully to TV history in 2002 (save for 2008's X Files film sequel), but has now resurfaced to create a pilot for Amazon Studios entitled THE AFTER.

This is another sci-fi drama knitting together over-familiar ideas filled with archetypes, which doesn't initially bode well. Eight strangers are thrown together when a Los Angeles hotel elevator breaks down, soon escaping to an underground car park and realising they're trapped below with no way to communicate with the outside world.

The group include French actress Gigi (French actress Louise Monot), tough cop Marly (Jaina Lee Ortiz), sexy Tammy (Arielle Kebbel), laconic clown David (Jamie Kennedy), convicted felon "D" (Leverage's Aldis Hodge), outrageous Irish stereotype McCormick (Andrew Howard), moneyed "old lady" Francis (Sharon Lawrence), and suave lawyer Wade (Heroes' Adrian Pasdar). Together they search for a means to escape to street-level, becoming increasingly aware something has happened to cause widespread panic and lawlessness.

Amazon reveal 2014 pilots

Last year, Amazon attempted to outdo Netflix by launching their own original content, but with a key difference. Netflix make shows based on interrogating their subscriber's data (House of Cards was famously made because lots of people watched Kevin Spacey and David Fincher movies), while Amazon create pilots and, unlike broadcast networks, commission whatever's the most popular. And here's what they have for us this year:

MSN TV: BBC2's INSIDE NO. 9

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the premiere of Reece Shearsmith & Steve Pemberton's new anthology horror-comedy, INSIDE NO 9. Can the duo behind Psychoville pull off another success, without their League of Gentlemen cohorts?

Inside No 9 contains six separate half-hour stories, loosely linked by the fact each concerns people living somewhere with a sole "9" in the address. Sardines, the first instalment, concerned an engagement party held for lovers Rebecca (Katherine Parkinson) and Jeremy (Ben Willbond), where the assembled guests had decided to play the titular game, a hide & seek derivative. As a dyed-in-the-wool fan of The League of Gentlemen (I even attended their live shows), I can't help but approach the comedy troupe's subsequent projects with goodwill that I hope doesn't slip into outright bias.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

TV News: 24 – LIVE ANOTHER DAY, AMERICAN GODS, HOUSE OF CARDS, SCROTAL RECALL

• 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY has been assembling an interesting cast, but one of its biggest "gets" has decided to quit. Australian actress Judy Davis (due to play the British widow of an infamous terrorist) has decided to leave the show, citing "personal reasons". Naturally, this vagueness was greeted with theories the actress had second thoughts about what might be a controversial role, or suchlike. Regardless, the producers of 24 are looking to recast. [via The Mirror]

It's February, so I'm watching...

We're over a month into 2014, so the new and returning shows are mostly up and running for New Year. Therefore, partly because I don't have time to review everything episodically these days, below is a broad overview of what I'm watching (and enjoying), and what I'm tending to queue on my TiVo (and will probably delete soon)...

Trailers: Super Bowl 2014

Like most of the planet, I have zero interest in (American) football, but the Super Bowl is such a spectacular event in the US sporting calendar that all manner of films have expensive promos sandwiched in the commercials. So I've cast my eye over some of the most notable ones, both good and bad.

3 Days to Kill

Kevin Costner was one of cinema's top leading men in the 1980s and part of the '90s, but his celebrity status waned after notorious box-office flops like Waterworld and The Postman. But he's still a good actor, and after a few decent supporting roles of late (Man of Steel, Jack Ryan), it feels like 3 DAYS TO KILL will be his "comeback". In fact, it seems like he's taking inspiration from Liam Neeson and has decided to appear in a Taken-style action romp that will (perhaps) retool him as a middle-aged action superstar.

TV Picks: 3-9 February 2014 (Alan Davies: Après-ski, Babylon, DCI Banks, Duck Quacks Don't Echo, Inside No9, Ja'mie: Private School Girl, Sleepy Hollow, etc.)

Below are my picks of the most notable shows, returning/premiering on UK screens this week...

TV News: CONSTANTINE, HANNIBAL & The CW's iZOMBIE

• As the development news continues to trickle in, I'm growing quietly confident that NBC are serious about making a good adaptation of Hellblazer, aka CONSTANTINE. In addition to hiring writers like David Goyer and Daniel Cerone (who worked on Dexter during its heyday), they've just announced that Neil Marshall (The Descent) is helming the pilot—and therefore setting the visual tone of the show. Marshall has recently started getting a toehold in the US TV biz, after his successful "Blackwater" episode of Game of Thrones and helming the pilot of Starz's pirate drama Black Sails. If NBC can just cast this thing appropriately (make Constantine an Englishman) and ensure a style befitting the '80s comics (something along the lines of their other show, Hannibal), this could become very good indeed. [via /Film]

Film review: FILTH (2013)

written & directed by John S. Baird (based on the novel by Irvine Welsh) | starring James McAvoy, Imogen Poots, Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt & Shirley Henderson

Scottish author Irvine Welsh made his name with the novel Trainspotting, which was turned into a very successful 1996 movie that created numerous Hollywood careers in the process, but subsequent attempts to adapt his work haven't been close to as successful. Jon S. Baird's adaptation of the novel Filth was a similarly low-key, unprofitable cinema release (earning £3.8m from a £3m budget), but is perhaps the closest thing a filmmaker's come to echoing Trainspotting on a creative level. Baird's no Danny Boyle, but Filth has a similarly bleak and crazy tone that should endear it to many.

Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) is a misanthropic, deceitful, conniving, hard-drinking, womanising, drug-taking breakdown of a man. Unfortunately, he's also a Detective Sergeant working the mean streets of Edinburgh; chasing a promotion using underhanded means, whilst trying to solve the murder of a Japanese student kicked to death by a street gang.