HARRY POTTER IT AIN'T! 'AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN' CASTS ITS SPELL

Just hanging about. Fiona (Jessica Lange) casts her spell in AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN. Images: FX.

Having previously enjoyed playing the twisted, scary, dangerous and marvellously OTT Nun, Sister Jude, film icon Jessica Lange gets to expand her dominion over sophisticated horror genre television with the soon arrival of the third season of the ground-breaking AMERICAN HORROR STORY, now out of the twisted, mutant, serial killing alien infested Asylum of the 1960's and into the wicked world of witchcraft and other forms of black-hearted magic, playing Fiona Goode, a woman skilled in the dark arts with past-exiled vengeance on her mind, in COVEN, coming next month to the UK's FOX HD channel.

The cauldron assembles: Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates make their mark on the series.

And if you've got such a talented actress as your series lead, then you want her past and future nemeses to have equal stature and charismatic power in order to get the fireworks in motion, and the series casting wing have worked overtime in securing two of the best: award winning actresses Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett, respectively playing Madames Delphine LaLurie (described by Miss Bates as being even worse than the deranged character she played in the superb film adaptation of Stephen King's Misery) and Marie Laveau, an esteemed mistress of voodoo and other sympathetic magics, soon exchanging more than harsh words and bitchy cat-calls with their ex-friend, the returned Fiona, amidst the background of an academy for exceptional and gifted young ladies- in actuality, a front for the preservation and cultivation of a unique bloodline of witchery, where a newcomer's destiny (Zoe, played by series one lead Taissa Farmiga), alongside the emergence of her latent powers that will likely be the catalyst for even more terrifying and genre-busting events. Cue in the expectant and disturbing atmospheric menace, warped supporting characters, and a splattering of blood and gore with classy black comedy, all in the most outrageous confectionery of macabre supremacy, and we're sure to have another winning season, one hopefully a bit better sustained in its story and character arc duration compared to the previous year, from writers/creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.

▶ American Horror Story Coven Full Trailer - MEET THE WITCHES! - YouTube
▶ American Horror Story Season 3: Coven Teaser #1 Detention (HD) - YouTube
▶ American Horror Story Season 3: Coven Teaser #2 Pins & Needles (HD) - YouTube

Other big-league names new to the series, filming in the big heat and atmospheric of New Orleans will include Danny Huston, Patti Lupone and Emma Roberts, while popular past AHS series veterans, playing distinctive fresh parts, include old favourites from across the previous two series, including Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Francis Conroy, and, away from her man-tempting, stockings and suspenders wearing maid incarnation from season one, and likely to raise the blood pressure all over again, the welcome return of Alexandra Breckenridge.

Let the spiritual invocations begin!

KOOL TV REVIEW: 'DOCTOR WHO: THE DOCTOR - HIS LIVES AND TIMES' BOOK

"Splendid fellows- all of them!" are celebrated in THE DOCTOR: HIS LIVES AND TIMES. Image: BBC BOOKS.

DOCTOR WHO: THE DOCTOR - HIS LIVES AND TIMES

By James Goss and Steve Tribe

Published by BBC BOOKS

Available from 26^th September (Hardback £20)

Reviewed by Scott Weller

“Doctor who?”

Thirty-years ago this November, The Master, the sworn enemy of the world’s number one sci-fi TV hero DOCTOR WHO, commented that a universe without his nemesis for good scarcely bore thinking about. As the series enters its incredible Fiftieth Anniversary, I’d say he was more than right-the show and its constantly regenerating galactic saviour of the most unusual kind, have entered the universal language of storytelling in the same way as other mythic heroes like Sherlock Holmes, James Bond and Robin Hood.

Weaving themselves around his past, present and future all over again, and following up their work last year with the deservedly acclaimed WHO nostalgia piece: A History of the Universe in 100 Objects, James Goss and Steve Tribe return to bring their unique perspectives to the Doctor and his travels through time and space in another superior package for BBC BOOKS: THE DOCTOR - HIS LIVES AND TIMES, showing us all just how much better the universe is with his far-reaching, occasionally extravagant, yet also Cosmic Hobo presence.

Meticulously fusing modern and classic series WHO in such a pleasing way, this is a treasure trove scrapbook seen through the eyes of the countless lives, across millennia and light years that his eleven (so far) personas have affected, amidst marvellous linking themes of events and characters from half a century of adventure, within all manner of written form, especially first hand fictional accounts outlined by many of the shows equally iconic companions (seen via their journals or other personal types of recollection) alongside ingenious artistic media: everything from company memos and business cards from friend and foe organizations and technologists, to Wish you Were Here-esque holiday postcards and memoirs, schematics, Twitter entries, specially created paintings, book covers, and even fake listings for 1970’s UK TV channels that never existed! Maps of locations and planetary systems, newspaper recreations of key events past, present and future, even comic strips and advertisements, are amongst the many new and wonderful compositions stylishly brought together, alongside well-known, influential historical figures dotted throughout every incarnation of the series- from Earth and beyond…

Likely having been a long time in the compiling, and beautifully designed (alongside the BBC Picture Archive, digging ever further to find deliciously rare photo material!), Goss and Tribe’s imaginations have the time of their lives showing us things/events that we either never got to see, happening off-air between seasons, or mentioned barely fleetingly, but nonetheless lingering potently enough to capture our imaginations, like the UK court trial of the Master with the then Earth-exiled Third Doctor, or plucky investigative reporter Sarah Jane Smith’s look into the many alien phenomenon that have either influenced Earth’s destiny or attacked it beyond her work for the Metropolitanmagazine. There’s also Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart’s take on his infamous “Scientific Advisor” and the tumultuous times and threats the UNIT organization faced with sometimes baffled but always resilient determination under his command.

Beyond the time his white-haired, gentleman of the universe incarnation and his affectionate grand-daughter “appropriated” a rackety old TARDIS from an ignorant repair shop on the legendary planet of Gallifrey, to a coming soon distant future encountering past incarnations of himself in a universe in flames, and at war, via his long-time nemeses, the true stuff of nightmares- the Daleks, there’s also an exploration of the skill in bringing the fantasy to reality over the years, featuring rare interview quotes from the cast and crew that bring additional depth and warmth to the celebrations, plus key contributors talking about their favourite stories and episodes, including Patrick Troughton’s grandson Henry Melling, Third, Fourth and Sixth Doctor companions Katy Manning, Lalla Ward and Nicola Bryant, Fifth Doctor Peter Davison (the one with the fair hair and “the open face!”) and the series all-round finest talent: writer and script editor, Terrance Dicks. Plus a nice little preview of the aforementioned upcoming The Day of the Doctor Anniversary Special, too!

Still incredible to me that there is so much more to be creatively mined and enjoyed from the series, THE DOCTOR - HIS LIVES AND TIMES is a gorgeous and satisfying book that I truly recommend to fans of all ages. If any WHOvian out there has this as a birthday present on 23^rdNovember, I suggest it comes with additional icing and a lit candle attached in order to further enhance its continuing importance in pop culture!

KOOL TV RATING: An impossible life for a man who, regardless, is showing his age well, in this lively and winning tribute-so evocative, I could image Jon Pertwee’s action dandy incarnation enthusiastically sitting down to read it with an accompanying tray of Gorgonzola Cheese and a bottle of red wine!

256 pages of spirited joy well-worth putting down some of that Queen Elizabeth-faced poundage on… 4 out of 5

Get hold of the book here: Doctor Who: The Doctor - His Lives and Times Dr Who: Amazon.co.uk: James Goss, Steve Tribe: Books

KOOL TV BABE OF THE WEEK: 'BODY OF PROOF's DANA DELANY

Red delight! Actress Dana Delany. Image: via ULIKE.

Her semi-regular appearances in hit modern soap DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES as fiery and clever Wisteria Lane neighbour Katherine Mayfair (who should have been named Katherine Maymean), and as Medical Examiner Megan Hunt, the criminologist with the sharp instincts and the equally sharp wit in the popular ABC drama BODY OF PROOF (currently showing on the UK"s ALIBI channel), may not make any impact with KOOL TV in general, but our interest in sexy actress Dana Delany has been a constant ever since we first saw her back in the late-eighties, in TV's Vietnam War version of MASH, CHINA BEACH, playing sparky and compassionate Colleen McMurphy, and winning several Emmy Awards in the process. A vibrant personality, and still downright sexy in her mature years, the sassy New York- born talent has carved a solid career on the big and small screen playing all kinds of heroines and bitches, winners and losers, including appearances in movies like out there comedy EXIT TO EDEN (alongside Dan Aykroyd) , family drama FLY AWAY HOME and TOMBSTONE (with Kurt Russell), as well as roles in hit series like CHEERS, THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW, Oliver Stones sci-fi fable WILD PALMS (as the doomed Grace, wife to Jim Belushi), short-lived thriller series KIDNAPPED, CASTLE and BOSTON LEGAL. She's also lent her memorable, often sardonic voice to numerous DC COMICS animated series, and was a pleasing Lois Lane in the mid-nineties SUPERMAN series.

Delany as Colleen McMurphy in CHINA BEACH. Image: ABC.

Taking a rest on the slab in BODY OF PROOF. Image: ABC.

With BODY OF PROOF's three-year run now over, we're sure that Miss Delaney's own unique "body" of future work will continue to be both diverse and satisfying for her fans...

"BY YOUR COMMAND!" CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF CLASSIC 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'

The original main cast of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Athena (Maren Jensen), Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Commander Adama (Lorne Greene). Images: UNIVERSAL.

They may have been slow off the bat in 1973 in not recognising the original potential for that little space project of George Lucas's that would soon become STAR WARS- having turned down the ambitious project in their first refusal option deal with the young film-maker, but UNIVERSAL STUDIOS were certainly the fastest out of the gate by 1978 with Hollywood's attempts to copy, mostly in the nicest possible way, the eventual juggernaut commercial and iconic success of the soon sci-fi favourite that launched Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and co. into the world. Theirs was to be the genre-busting space epic from veteran series maker Glen A. Larson: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, updated from his original ADAM'S ARK- a previously rejected sixties series concept spawned in the wake of the original STAR TREK- updated with the best STAR WARS vibes possible and quickly launched into cinemas, then followed as a weekly series which premiered today, thirty-five years ago, and using many of the incredible talents of Lucas's loaned out ILM company in the process- a prestigious Who's Who roll-call including Oscar-winning John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, and Richard Edlund, plus influential artists like Joe Johnston and the legendary Ralph McQuarrie.

▶ Battlestar Galactica Opening Theme from 1978 - YouTube
▶ Battlestar Galactica (1978) fan trailer - YouTube

Last protector warship of the Colonial Fleet: the Battlestar Galactica.

But it isn't just the superb for their time, even if over-used special effects of space hardware and intergalactic conflicts, from such talented icons, that would help this particular series uniquely survive the test of time to become so beloved by audiences around the world, who said "Felgercarb!" to the wrath of the critics. It was GALACTICA's central premise-the Pearl Harbour-esque bombing of the human race by deadly inhuman foes, resulting in its survivors fleeing out into the stars, protected by their last of its kind warship, the formidable Battlestar Galactica, in search of their missing brothers with the long lost Thirteenth Tribe of Earth- that proved both relatable and fascinating, showing the best and worst of the human condition in their quest for survival, whilst the central casting of serious-hearted hero Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo, Dirk Benedict as lovable cigar chomping, dering-do viper pilot rogue Starbuck and BONANZA's charismatic father figure of Lorne Greene as the Moses-like Commander Adama, was inspired and a firm fixture of the groovy and spirited late-seventies, alongside a bevy of stunning and capable females including Jane Seymour, Maren Jensen, Anne Lockhart and Laurette Spang that swiftly captured male hearts, in an equal opportunities show where the girls could fly fighters and shoot those metal suited, red-eyed alien Cylons with the best of 'em.

The menace of the Cylons continues...

All in all, GALACTICA, despite its short lifespan, was firmly, squarely, just great family entertainment: exciting, funny and with heart, alongside its excellent visual execution. And those are the reasons why, like the original STAR WARS film, which itself had been the nexus focal point for the reinvigoration of cinema and television to a more youthful audience, it continues to resonate and endure...

Happy 35th Birthday, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA!

Get hold of the original 1978 theatrical version on Blu-ray: Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray 1978 Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Lorne Greene, Dirk Benedict, Ray Milland, Jane Seymour, Richard Hatch, Terry Carter, Maren Jensen, Noah Hathaway, Tony Swartz, Lew Ayres, John Colicos, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Ed Begley Jr, Richard A. Colla, Donald P. Bellisario: Film & TV

KOOL TV's previous GALACTICA features: KOOL TV: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

STILL IN CONTROL OF OUR TELEVISION SETS. 'THE OUTER LIMITS' TURNS 50!

Not your normal family album! The diverse aliens of THE OUTER LIMITS strike a pose. Images: ULIKE/MGM.

With American television firmly entering its golden age into the early sixties, a wealth of classic TV series would forever imprint themselves onto the minds of a generation of viewers. The western was the main king of the small screen then, but the worlds of fantasy and sci-fi were soon catching up, capturing healthy audiences and critical interest, led primarily by the soon classic anthology series that went beyond sight and sound, travelling the mental and physical borders of imagination and terror that were THE TWILIGHT ZONE- still the most influential series of its kind, and creator Rod Serling's greatest literary achievement. Springing in many way from its success, but also its antithesis in some respects, and equally just as well crafted, came 1963's THE OUTER LIMITS created by PSYCHO adaptor Joseph Stefano and soon well-respected Executive Producer Leslie Stevens. This was a show whose anthology stories could also go anywhere, often into even darker and scarier realms than anything experienced in TWILIGHT, and boasted some of the finest writers ever assembled for the small screen (including Robert Towne, Harlan Ellison and Jerry Sohl) and incredible guest casts (Robert Culp, Martin Landau, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Henry Silva and many others), but THE OUTER LIMITS would ultimately be best remembered for the many diverse, fascinating and often truly scary creatures that would emerge through its storytelling (nicknamed "Bears" in the scripting process) which became deservedly iconic in the years to come, achieved mostly through the ingenious imagination and physical crafting of top designer/sculptor Wah Chang. Also building pivotal atmosphere and mood setting would be the supreme music of Dominic Frontiere, one of a of a rare breed of television score composers who really knew his craft and helped make the incredible stories even more indelible in viewers minds (later contributing equally great music for the Roy Thinnes starring alien thriller THE INVADERS). With strong production values and often almost cinematic direction (from the likes of Byron Haskin, Gerd Oswald and James Livingston) its no surprise that so many of the gifted talents who worked on this show would become so pivotal to the foundation building of the equally iconic- even more so- success of another sci-fi series, this one shot in colour only a few years later: Gene Roddenberry's infinity traversing STAR TREK.

Cliff Robertson makes first contact with The Galaxy Being.

Its opening titles and subtly powerful control voice (provided by the late Vic Perrin) being one more key factor in the shows continued presence in pop culture history, THE OUTER LIMITS now celebrates it's satisfying landmark Fiftieth Anniversary today (its impressive original launcher, The Galaxy Being, written and directed by Leslie Stevens, starring Cliff Robertson as a man in touch with an alien being through radio/video waves, setting the standard for what was to come). I'll never forget my first impressions of the show in the seventies-my brothers sixties card collection of the series various monsters scared the living daylights out of me a four-year old, so much so that I had my parents hide them from me!, whilst my later first viewing of the series in the early eighties, late-night Fridays on the UK's BBC 2, proved equally memorable! Despite the odd wonky episode in its later, less acclaimed second season (of which Stefano, the key creative force of the series and its top writer, had left the series due to friction with network executives over the shows direction), THE OUTER LIMITS continues to resonate with audiences and lives up to its reputation as one of the best genre series ever created.

Compilation art card for the series.

Here's a look back at KOOL TV's top ten THE OUTER LIMITS episodes...

THE ARCHITECTS OF FEAR. Robert Culp undergoes a unique transmogrification into an alien being, in an attempt to unite the peoples of Earth away from war.

The superior intellect. David McCallum in The Sixth Finger.

THE SIXTH FINGER. An eternally youthful David McCallum makes an impression as a big-headed (literally) human guinea pig whose mental powers make him superior to mankind- and soon a threat that must be stopped at all costs!

The mutant Andro (Martin Landau) returns to Earth.

THE MAN WHO WAS NEVER BORN. Martin Landau stars in this haunting love story, as a future man travelling back to the past to save his loved one and humanity from a terrifying mutated future.

A weird criminal makes an impression in The Zanti Misfits.

THE ZANTI MISFITS. Alien prisoners resembling spiders with grotesque human faces arrive on Earth and terrorise a desert town. Guest starring Bruce Dern.

An Ebon alien in Nightmare.

NIGHTMARE. A group of humans soldiers are terrorised by their alien captors, the Ebon, in a tense morality play.

THE INVISIBLES: A race of alien parasites begin their secret infiltration of mankind in this tense thriller starring BULLITT's Don Gordon.

A rare colour shot of the trapped alien from The Bellero Shield.

THE BELLERO SHIELD. Martin Landau and Sally Kellerman make their second appearance in the series, as a trapped alien is inadvertently caught in the ambitious and deadly machinations of a powerful scientist and his controlling family.
 

Michael Ansara's Soldier, trapped in 1960's Earth.

SOLDIER. The template for James Cameron's THE TERMINATOR franchise, and Harlan Ellison's first classic episode for the series, as a soldier from the far distant future (Michael Ansara) is accidentally sent back int time to the 1960's, and soon has to get used to life away from the war zone. But is soon transpires that one of his enemies has also made the journey back and prepares to renew battle.

Adam West sees his foe in The Invisible Enemy.

THE INVISIBLE ENEMY. Crash-landing on an alien planet, two astronauts (Including BATMAN's Adam West) have to fight off devouring threats from a race of alien sand sharks, in a gripping story made long before JAWS!

Robert Culp is the Demon with a Glass Hand.

DEMON WITH A GLASS HAND. Robert Culp is an amnesiac fugitive on the run, on a lonely Earth now invaded by the mysterious Kyben. But what has happened to Humanity? And what is the ultimate purpose of his talking hand? Season Two's finest hour, in another superlative script by Harlan Ellison.

With additional thanks to John Scoleri's excellent website for certain episodic images: We Are Controlling Transmission

"NEGOTIATION'S OVER!" WE WANT THAT 'JUDGE DREDD' SEQUEL!

He is the law! JUDGE DREDD, as personified by Karl Urban, aims high. Images: LIONSGATE.

Having painfully endured Sylvester Stallone and Danny Cannon's 1995 cinematic "interpretation" of the classic UK 2000AD comics maverick lawman with the sardonic and dangerous Clint Eastwood/DIRTY HARRY edge that is future cop JUDGE DREDD, I'd given up the hope that we'd ever see a decent movie version of writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra's superior graphic novel  creation and media icon, who instantly made an impact and become a legend, almost a British version of BATMAN, from 1977 onwards. Fortunately, last year's terrific endeavour, low budget but still looking like a blockbuster, with STAR TREK's Karl Urban doing a superb job behind the mask- giving him the right spirit of indomitable fearlessness and destructive superiority within a crime hit tower block ruled by the heinous drug lord Ma-Ma (played with disfigured spite by GAME OF THRONES star Lena Headey), totally restored my faith in the hero's on-screen potential and really hit the target creatively, so it amazed me that the film, an international success and a relatively well received project with critics and fans who'd grown up with the character-failed to make any kind of mark in the all-important US territories-perhaps because Paul Verhoeven's equally iconic and similar ROBOCOP had ultimately, and unintentionally, stole so many of its ideas and its potential thunder back in the late eighties.

▶ Dredd Exclusive Trailer Debut [HD] - YouTube

Regardless of its lack of impact States-side, the re-imagined, back to basics DREDD has become a well-deserved cult classic in the best BLADE RUNNER traditions, and is ever gaining in popularity. None of the people behind the scenes in the cinematic development world of DREDD (including director Peter Travis and writer/producer Alex Garland), nor star Urban, want to see the planned Trilogy of stories bite the dust or enter limbo, not with the kind of characters and backstory universe that could be so richly mined in the future, so add your voice to the campaign to get the next movie made- I particularly want to see the back from the dead skeletal menace of Judge Death terrorising our hero and PSI-powered sidekick Judge Anderson (played by cute Olivia Thirlby), from its reality to ours, as well as a trip or mission through the horrific, apocalyptic environs of the stricken Cursed Earth-what a finale that could be!

People power can make a difference in the worlds of genre film and TV, so let's all get cracking on Dredd's Day of Action this 18th September!

FACEBOOK PAGE: Make a DREDD Sequel

MAKE A DREDD SEQUEL OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN T SHIRT: Amazon.co.uk: Clothing

Comics | shop.2000adonline.com

Dredd (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray): Amazon.co.uk: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Domhnall Gleeson, Wood Harris, Pete Travis: Film & TV

Dredd [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Domhnall Gleeson, Wood Harris, Pete Travis: Film & TV

iTunes - Films - Dredd

NOT LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM! LARRY DAVID RETURNS IN 'CLEAR HISTORY'!

Larry David, as you've never seen him before- with hair, in the comedy CLEAR HISTORY. Image: HBO.

Taking a mini-break from his outrageously below the belt but still achingly funny antics in CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, that comedy grouch genius with his own unique take on life, Larry David, returns to our screen with a new and well-received one-off film for HBO. CLEAR HISTORY, which aired last month Stateside. clearly has the former shows same kind of spirited humour whilst playing on the What If? scenario that we've all felt from time to time- only when it comes to Larry David you know that angst, anger and classic put-downs, with lots of sexual references, will lift this far above the norm!

David, uniquely hairy this time out, plays Nathan Flomm, a soon disgraced former marketing executive who came up with a great idea regarding the genesis of the electric car, only to years later discover that its been stolen and adapted for the better by his former boss, Will Haney (MAD MEN's Jon Hamm, making a fine entry into comedy), since gone on to become a millionaire and one of the most powerful and influential people in the world. Flomm, with his downtrodden life pretty much come to nothing, having hidden within a new identity, is well and truly madly deeply pissed off by this state of affairs, the old wounds soon resurfacing when his former "buddy" moves to a nearby town. And now he wants to get even!

▶ Larry David's Clear History Epic Trailer (HBO) - YouTube

Made in the same kind of fly-on-the-wall style as CURB, written by the star with buddies Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, and with the same kind of stellar supporting cast (Including the likes of Kate Hudson, Michael Keaton, Danny McBride and Eve Mendes, plus CURB's always funny J.B. Smoove, playing a new character in a similar vein, Jaspar), there's no confirmation of a UK airdate yet, but SKY ATLANTIC will surely have it by Christmas time.

WELCOME TO LEVEL SEVEN! "MARVEL's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.' ARRIVE...

Ready to defend us. MARVEL's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Images: DISNEY/ABC TV

Ready and capable of handling the oncoming storm of dark and dangerous threats to Humankind in these unstable times when "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", The Avengers, are indisposed, the equally steadfast and reliable agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics) make their impressive debut on UK television from Friday, September 27th on the UK's CHANNEL 4, bringing with them all the humour, action and excitement seen with the organisations big-screen appearances across six incredible box office juggernaut comic book film adaptations from MARVEL STUDIOS, a bold and distinctive company now making their first brave and likely indelible foray into weekly, small-screen storytelling mode.

▶ Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Trailer 1 (Official) - YouTube
▶ Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Starts 27th September | Channel 4 - YouTube
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The popular Agent Phil Coulson, as played with sublime, straight-laced wickedness and a clear-cut patriotism by writer/actor Clark Gregg, had a love and dedication in bringing the at first dysfunctional Avengers line-up into miraculous being- no small task and one that seemingly cost him his life, yet good heroes are hard to kill, and he's now alive and well after all (how he got out of that one apparently being a relevant surprise to what lies ahead for the organisation!), bringing together his own new, formidable band of super-agents who, though they may not have the incredible powers of the Hulk, Captain America, the Asgardian Thor or Tony Stark's Iron Man, are still the best of the best within the worlds super-spy elite. Within this diverse and attractive, all corners brought bunch- looking like they've sprung from the pages of GQ magazine rather than MARVEL's acclaimed graphic novels- the Men (and Women) in Black who now wear Armani!- are ace pilot Melinda May (ER's sexy Ming-Na Wen), Black Ops specialist Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), cynical civilian recruit and top computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet), Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) -a top weapons specialist, and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Hesntridge)- a life sciences genius and sister to Leo. To say that their premier gathering is going to be interesting is likely to be an understatement!

Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) in action with S.H.I.E.L.D. boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in the first THE AVENGERS movie.

With new villains and technological terrors, both foreign and domestic, emerged from The Avengers first battle against extra-terrestrial dominions, bringing their own set of problems and challenges to the team, the series looks set to be glossy, thrilling fun all the way, as beloved geek film and TV adaptor/creator Joss Whedon, also surely mining fifty years worth of MARVEL history and characters (and past events from the previous films), brings that unique, just this right side of smart-ass fun of his, as well as ambitious high-tech adrenaline adventure set pieces worthy of James Bond, to a crowd-pleasing mix, in what is also likely to be one of DISNEY/ABC's most expensive TV series yet. If this is a success, there will be more like this on the airwaves in years to come, hopefully adding greatly to the popular audience main dish experience of the continuing superheroes in their movie series phenomenon...

Fingers, arms, legs and everything crossed for a successful and audience-hip UK debut...

SURVIVAL INSTINCT! 'THE WALKING DEAD' SEASON FOUR

Ready for more? The cast of THE WALKING DEAD prepare... Images: AMC.

Finally finding a sanctuary worth defending, former Sheriff Rick Grimes and his battle-worn, exhausted fugitives from the Zombie apocalypse have faced overwhelming odds and only just overcome the terrifying viciousness of brutal despot The Governor and his henchmen. But new threats await their existence within the confines of their immense but often hard to contain prison "home". The new series of THE WALKING DEAD, beginning next month on the US AMC channel and the UK's FX HD, gets off to a satisfyingly carnivorous start, amidst hails of expectant gunfire and guaranteed bloody axe-swinging!

Recovering from his mental and emotional ordeal with the loss of former wife, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies, who may yet return for several ghostly cameos or flashbacks at some point), and the loss of other members of his "family: (including Laurie Holden's brave but loyalties misplaced Andrea), Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his comrades willngly decide to look after the remaining innocents from the former town of Woodbury, shepherding the newcomers into the prison, and helping to train/protect them, whilst also building on relationships with particular stand-outs including fan favourite sword wielder Michonne (impressively played with vulnerability yet determined strength by Danai Gurira) and emerging characters Tyreese (Chad Coleman), Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Beth (Emily Kinney) - the former, such a popular addition to the Robert Kirkman created comic series, finally promised some worthy screen time this year. Meanwhile, former child brat Carl, (Chandler Riggs) having got mentally tougher and harder-edged with every episode last season, after having had no choice but to end the life of his own mother, will show a kill or be killed soldier mentality about him in Season Four, which will no doubt see him butt heads, perhaps violently, against his father's returned protective, sympathetic qualities...

The threat from The Governor (David Morrissey) is still a constant for our heroes...

The advancing, always hungry for flesh, undead menace, remains as relentless as ever, but are some of them becoming more adept and intelligent in their stalking methods? Or are they being helped? The dangers from humankind are certainly still constant- the threat of The Governor particularly so- David Morrissey's once subtly insane eye-patched killer gone supernova mad with the loss of his zombie daughter, and having managed to escape the destruction of his little empire, sharpening his blade and ready for revenge on Rick and co. across four important, likely story-stretching episodes through the season. A brand new threat will bring further danger and conflict, too...

▶ The Walking Dead Season 4 Preview - YouTube

With former writer/producer Glen Mazzara having done such a splendid job in the third year of reinvigorating the show's balance of action, horror and character depth, whilst also scoring the most impressive ratings and audience acclaim yet for AMC, now incredulously departed, its going to be interesting to see where new reins holder Scott Gimble, already a popular writer on the series, is going to take the show -with ambitious behind the scenes rumours that the show will see the return if Lennie James as Morgan, and be heading to new locations whilst gaining further new characters across its run (excitingly, there's been recent news that MAN OF STEEL/BLADE creator David Goyer will likely be directing an epsiode). One aspect that will remain consistent and audience satisfying regardless, however, will be Greg Nicotero and his team's superb and diverse Zombie make-ups- as blood-curdlingly ingenious, scary and repulsive as ever. Flesh-eating monsters have never been enjoyable!

TRUE LIES! 'HOMELAND' SEASON THREE BECKONS...

Fugitive hearts and minds. The main troika of HOMELAND Season Three. Images: SHOWTIME.

Having been the surprise hit of the previous year, and becoming seriously addictive television for both critics and fans, it was a shame that the following Season Two of the SHOWTIME terrorist thriller HOMELAND didn't win quite as much acclaim or respect-perhaps because the original premiere run was so satisfying and could basically have been told in one compete story that it didn't really need an actual continuation- but, hey, if you're an American TV series and its a hit, then the show, and the advertising profits, have gotta go on! Fortunately, the series would be blessed with two of modern televisions best and enterprising creator producers- Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon- finding a clever way to do just that for their TV superiors, and delivering, by year two's last episode, a very satisfying and disturbing finale that lends itself to an overall much better and more organic linkage with the upcoming, highly anticipated new third season, beginning at the end of this month in the US.

▶ Homeland Season 3: Official Trailer - YouTube
▶ Homeland Season 3: Tease - Haunted - YouTube
Homeland Season 3: Behind the Scenes - YouTube
▶ Homeland Season 3: From The Beginning - YouTube

Caught in a maelstrom of press attention, and having to testify about her difficult prior actions and decision-making to a tense senate sub-committee, CIA agent Carrie Mathison (an impressive Claire Danes) had seemingly regained her purpose in life, along with her senses and sanity, despite the pain of frustrations of her mental illness, but now has to deal with the incredible fall-out from the horrific terrorist car-bomb explosion that has wiped out half of her friends and workmates-some of "The Company"s finest, including her former lover David Estes (David Harewood). With her former lover -ex-marine and former terrorist Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis, getting the chance to add more complex layers of tensions and fractured loyalty to the role) well and truly framed for the heinous act by the murderous bedfellows he once pledged allegiance to, he had no choice but to desert his wife (oh-so-sexy Morena Baccarin) and two children and go overseas where, as a fugitive with few options open to him, soon becomes inexorably linked to new troublesome scenarios, many not of his making. Trying to find and shield him where possible, Carrie is also immersed in another kind of warfare- internal politics and rising ambitions with her superiors at Langley - her only friend Saul Berenson (the always watchable Mandy Patinkin), now risen up the office ranks to the challenging and difficult role of Director-ship- most of whom don't share her views about the set-up of Brody, eventually realising that he didn't die in the car bomb after all, and soon dispatching their special forces teams (including assassin Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend- now a series regular), already out securing other targets linked to the deaths, to quickly find and eliminate the homegrown threat once and for all, the once patriot and friend of America, now world enemy number one and still causing a stink in the political corridors of power- the man who almost became their president!

The steps of power. The Brodys (Morena Baccarin and Damian Lewis), Carrie (Claire Danes) and Saul (Mandy Patinkin) return for more drama and intrigue.

As big in scope as the previous season (with filming in Puerto Rico and a return to Israel for some highly charged finale episode scenes) drawn from the tense times we now live in, there are also promises of some smaller scale, but hopefully no less riveting, character drama- with the Brody family fallout being a key spotlight, alongside the producers hints that they want a John le Carre-esque feel to the new series spy-dom machinations. Meanwhile, the simmeringly unconventional, in many ways tragic, love story between Carrie and Brody, the true underpinnings to the shows success, certainly isn't over, surely evolving and intensifying-with lots more physical and psychological pain along the way for our separated lovers to endure...

Seasons One and Two of HOMELAND on Blu-ray: Homeland - Season 1-2 [Blu-ray]: Amazon.co.uk: Damian Lewis, Claire Danes, Morena Baccarin, Mandy Patinkin, David Harewood: Film & TV

KOOL TV REVIEW: 'STAR TREK - INTO DARKNESS' BLU-RAY

Harbinger of death! Superhuman, super-intellect Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) sends STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS. Images: PARAMOUNT.

Warping past the previous eleven films of the popular to become the all-round world box office planet smasher, the late Gene Roddenberry would proud to see his STAR TREK creation continue to make an impact with fans and audiences as it nears its fiftieth anniversary. J. J. Abrams is now the master of the space-faring U.S.S. Enterprise and the handling of all the iconic characters and shipmates under the command of Chris Pine's bold young hothead with a heart, Captain James T. Kirk, as they face the blunt force dangers and razor-sharp villainy of Earth's warrior past, in the form of biologically refined, intellectually primed terrorist Khan (played by the UK's rising star, SHERLOCK's Benedict Cumberbatch, at his coldest and fiercest yet-still proving to Hollywood that old idiom that Brits make for superior baddies) and go INTO DARKNESS, out today from PARAMOUNT on lavish 3D and 2D Blu-ray and digital copy, as well as reliable old DVD.

Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) face a unique threat to Starfleet.

▶ Star Trek Into Darkness BluRay Trailer HD - YouTube

Maintaining the re-imagined traditions of their earlier, previous 2008 critically acclaimed, let's make STAR TREK cool again smash hit, Abrams directs proceedings with confident vigour and ingenuity, with a full grasp of the narrative and bringing out the best in his actors- there's certainly never a dull moment- from the fiery opening as the ever evolving relationship, and eventual friendship of Kirk and Vulcan Science Officer Spock (a more settled in Zachary Quinto) sees them at their most emotional and emotionally restrained, having to save a primitive culture from volcanic extinction in the films fun opening, to a sterling high-speed, high-stakes aerial and rooftop chase through the 23rd century version of San Francisco- the heart and home to a battle ravaged Starfleet command- its peaceful and Utopian control of the galaxy now on very shaky turf after Khan's first revenge-fuelled, building shaking sneak attack. Nods to the TREK of old get some nice new time in the sun (especially some of the history made by the criminally under-rated DEEP SPACE NINE), with a little trip to the new-look Klingon Empire along the way, whilst new character additions include pretty Alice Eve as dedicated scientist, and likely long-term girlfriend of Jim Kirk, Dr. Carol Marcus, who generally fits well into proceedings. Disappointingly, though, with all the extra stars and characters (including an impressive Peter Weller as a Federation Admiral with a secret to protect), legendary old favourites Bones McCoy (Karl Urban), Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and Sulu (John Cho) have very little to do, especially the latter, which is a shame since John Cho made such an impressive entrance in the first re-imagined TREK. Here's hoping that the next TREK film isn't too far off to even the scales a bit more for them. Sexy Zoe Saldana continues to be a great, sassy Uhura, even though her character seems to spend a lot of the movie having a strop with Spock, though Simon Pegg's interpretation of venerable Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott continues to nauseate...

Time heals no wounds for the sinister Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Writers/fans Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof cleverly invert and re-invent certain characters, situations and sequences from the fans previous torch bearer STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, though INTO DARKNESS lacks the strong and heartstrings pulling edge that Nicholas Meyer and Harve Bennett earlier brought to the franchise with their now iconic and still seemingly hard to topple 1982 movie for William Shatner and co.. ILM's special effects innovations though, remain as superb as ever, especially in 3D with the aforementioned volcanic opening and a later tense Horatio Hornblower-esque battle between the Enterprise and a huge, technically superior dreadnought capable of outrunning them and devastating them with more powerful weaponry. And what happens after that....well, we'll not spoil it for you!

Battle stations for Kirk and Lt. Sulu (John Cho).

Alice Eve joins the crew as Dr. Carol Marcus.

Extras wise, there's not the heavy amount that made the 2008 TREK such a winner (obviously being saved for a bigger, future release), and Boo! to the lack of an audio commentary (only available online, and to pay separately for, in the US), but five varying length featurettes prove most welcome: Creating the Red Planet, Attack on Starfleet, The Klingon Home World, The Enemy of My Enemy, Ship to Ship, and Brawl by the Bay, all showing the dedicated, yet also fun-loving cast and crew ambitiously turning the scripted page to celluloid and wanting to provide a film as good and exciting as their previous one...

Little alien Keenser (Deep Roy) has fun with future STAR WARS director J.J. Abrams.

▶ 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Blu-ray Bonus: Brawl by the Bay - YouTube
▶ Star Trek Into Darkness - Behind The Scenes B-Roll 1 - YouTube

KOOL TV RATING: We're hoping for far more originality in story and character depth for our heroes with their next scripted adventure, as our heroes begin their first five year mission exploring and patrolling the universe, but INTO DARKNESS has all the necessary and often dazzling bells, whistles, bangs and crashes for your bucks to make it a worthy addition to your TREK library and overall movie collection. 

Making waves! The sea-faring U.S.S. Enterprise...

Previous KOOL TV review of INTO DARKNESS in its cinema release earlier in 2013: KOOL TV REVIEW: 'STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS'

Get hold of INTO DARKNESS here: Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, J.J. Abrams: Film & TV

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