A FEAST OF CRIME FOR 'THE SWEENEY'!

Ray Winstone and Ben Drew are the all-new THE SWEENEY. Image: VERTIGO FILMS.

There will never be another John Thaw or Dennis Waterman in their portrayals of top Metropolitan Flying Squad detectives Jack Regan or George Carter, as seen in the terrific, audience beloved British television phenomenon of the kipper-tied seventies that was the gritty, and also darkly humorous, police series THE SWEENEY. Nonetheless, after a long wait, the upcoming modern day big-budget, big action set piece re-imagining of the classic drama, originally created by Ian Kennedy Martin, is one UK/London based film, from the popular new wave director Nick Love, that I'm looking forward to seeing, especially as knocked about a bit concrete faced/gravel voiced Ray Winstone is always good value for money in any role/project he brings himself to. And anything that gets the current UK movie industry out of its stagnant obsession with largely unfunny youth/romantic/quirky comedies and Jane Austen/ Downton Abbey wannabes is fine by me!

It's time for flawed but likeable British heroes to kick down the doors and bust some heavy-duty criminal heads again this September!

Trailer: The Sweeney - UK Trailer (2012) - YouTube

Previous KOOL TV feature: FAGS, SLAGS AND BLAGS! THE RETURN OF 'THE SWEENEY'

PAST AND FUTURE: THE RETURN OF PRIME-TIME 'PRIMEVAL'!

It's Dino-time once more for heroes Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts), Abby (Hannah Spearritt) and Matt (Ciaran McMenamin) in season five of PRIMEVAL. Images: IMPOSSIBLE PICTURES.

Family friendly Dino carnage returns to the UK's ITV1 and HD channels this Saturday at 6pm with the return of cult-hit sci-fi/monster drama PRIMEVAL, as the scientist/army comprised ARC team responds once more to the threat of time breaching creatures of all shapes, sizes and weirdness, from past, present and future, onto British soil (well, Irish soil, really-the country now being the series main location filming base, filling in for London's noted modern architecture). This fifth (and likely final) series set with our current band of heroes, most notably series regulars Andrew-Lee Potts and Hannah Spearritt as scientists Connor Temple and Abby Maitland, sees the continuing threat of the mysterious anomalies growing larger as a scheme by scheming industrialist business Philip Burton (STAR TREK's Alexander Siddig) gets out of control and soon has frightening effects for the whole of sentient creation.

Check out our previous features on Season Five: ROMPER STOMPER! "PRIMEVAL" SEASON FIVE

MONSTER MUNCH! "PRIMEVAL" SEASON FIVE

CREATURE FEATURE! KOOL TV REVIEW OF "PRIMEVAL" SEASON FIVE

Season Five trailer (from when it was previously on WATCH): Primeval Series 5 Official Trailer - YouTube

Teaser posters for the new series PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD

It's not perfect, and the ultimate resolution to the series story arc (begun in tantalising small bits during the previous season four) is a bit ho-hum rather than as spectacular as it should be (probably the result of budget cuts when the series had to be co-financed between ITV, the satellite channel WATCH (who had first transmission dibs on it last year) and other European TV backers), but the work put into all by the resident creatures effects team is good, the cast give it their best and the series ultimately ends on a relatively successful all for one and one for all note. At least one of the main cast, Potts, will return for a cameo appearance in the now-in-production new series of PRIMEVAL being filmed in Vancouver, Canada, with an all-new cast within a major format shake-up re-imaging/spin-off hybrid thingy. PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD, made by the Space channel in association with some of the key creative team of the original UK series, promises in its press release to be a darker and scarier ride for its thirteen episode premiere season duration, giving the series a further youthful, sexed-up new cast (apparently including VAMPIRE DIARIES Sara Canning as a predator attack expert, HEARTLAND's Miranda Frigon, ONCE UPON A TIME's Geoff Gustafson and YOUNG JAMES HERRIOT's Danny Rahmi), and further gory special effects against a story backdrop that builds on what was originally established on the Brit side of the pond. Whatever happens with the new series, at least it can't be any worse than the early episodes of TERRA NOVA!

More news as and when...

KOOL TV BABE OF THE WEEK: 'DEXTER's JENNIFER CARPENTER

No fan of "f+++ing a++holes!" Jennifer Carpenter as the potty-mouthed Debra Morgan in DEXTER. Images: SHOWTIME.

In all honesty, I have to say that I've found this current sixth season of the hit SHOWTIME series DEXTER, showing exclusively on the FX channel in the UK, a little disappointing. At least the most disappointing since its second year, where, at that time, it took a while for the show to find itself and regain it's killer identity (excuse the reference!) after what had been a superb showcase premiere season. Here, the mostly padded out, occasionally wandering off base year six hasn't been as enthralling as the John Lithgow showpiece that was year four, or even the group evil led by Brit Jonny Lee Miller in year five, failing to capitalise on a promising story linked to religion and the doomsday prophecies with what also should have been a terrific duo of villains (Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks). There have been a few good twists ands turns here and there, and some cool gross-out moments, plus the series looks as stylish and well-made as ever, but I expected that little bit more as Year Six reached its penultimate episodes. The promise of an apparently very strong finale to wrap it all up, however, gives me hope, especially as the series now has a locked in end date set for year eight (year seven is just about to start Stateside), so expect the dramatic fireworks to begin as Dexter's life as a serial killer will surely, inevitably, be discovered. Just how the ramifications of this happening will play out, and how it will affect the lives of his family and friends, is unknown, but I'm sure the blood will continue to flow and the body count of his wanted villains will increase just as we viewers want it to. There's still lots to explore in this darkly comic universe...

Debs on the case with Dexter (Michael C. Hall), Quinn (Desmond Carrington) and  Masuka (C.S. Lee).

Dexter rescues Debra, and vice versa, from a gas attack in a dramatic scene from the Season Six episode Talk to the Hand.

Whatever happens down the path to hell, though, one great constant for DEXTER has been its excellent series casting, and we couldn't have been better blessed with its lead actor choices than we have with the terrific Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, a character now firmly established in TV history as everyone's favourite adaptable serial killer with a heart who tries to maintain a balance between his blood lust and his humanity, with an ultimate destiny not yet revealed, whilst Jennifer Carpenter has been a quirky and to-root-for delight as the determined, brave, fouler than foul mouthed, but generally kind-hearted and loyal sister, Debra. Debra has had quite a tough year in season six, in a period which saw her relationship to fellow policeman Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington) disintegrate during her sudden and unexpected rise up the ranks to the position of Homicide Department lieutenant, a situation which often puts her at odds with her squad comrades and particularly with her ex-boss, Maria La Guerta (Lauren Velez), on matters of judgement, criminal procedures and the allocation of manpower in solving crimes (especially to violent and gory events linked to the all-important Doomsday Killers, and another murder which has covered up links to Police Captain Matthews (Geoff Pierson)). All in all, such work and emotional pressures/conflicts have led to the gradual death of any kind of life for Debra outside her career, of which she is also seeing a police appointed shrink after a violent incident earlier in the season, where she was forced to take a life during a violent nightclub gun battle. From all this rising emotion, her feelings for Dexter, her late father's adopted son, have started to dwell and ferment in her mind as she discovers that he has been just about the one loyal and loving constant, and positive factor in her life during all these difficulties. But are such stirrings indeed just because of her weakened frame of mind? Nothing more than a mild transience? Or are the series producers planning something so dark, and possibly so tragic, that it wouldn't look out of place in the kind of finale that Thomas Harris wrote for FBI agent Clarice Starling and serial killer Hannibal Lecter at the end of the love it or hate it HANNIBAL novel? Audiences will find out sooner rather than later, I think, in a scenario that will no doubt be a great and rewarding challenge for the talented and lovely Miss Carpenter before she continues on with a promising film career...

NORMAL SERVICE HAS NOT BEEN RESUMED! INSIDE 'THE NEWSROOM'

The world according to Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) in THE NEWSROOM. Images: HBO.

With his meteoric rise as one of Hollywood's most talented and accomplished screenwriters, with the likes of his charting the clash of kings birth of Facebook in THE SOCIAL NETWORK, Brad Pitt starring baseball drama MONEYBALL and the upcoming eventual Steve Jobs biography movie alll gaining plaudits, plus the occasional odd Academy Award lying about the place (which I'm sure makes for a wonderful bookcase primer!), it's nice to know that Aaron Sorkin hasn't yet abandoned his fondness for creating American weekly dramatic television series. Life and power as seen with the quirky and sophisticated case of THE WEST WING may yet be his most well-known accomplishment for the small screen, with his successive STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP vehicle for Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry not quite finding its hoped-for anticipated audience, but this new show for HBO, THE NEWSROOM, shows heaps of promise and a major return to sharp and involving form. There's nothing new at all about the format setting: the newsroom, an environment for comedy and drama mined in movies like the recentish MORNING GLORY (starring Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams) or the critically acclaimed eighties movie BROADCAST NEWS (starring Holly Hunter, James L. Brooks and a noteworthy William Hurt). Heck, Sorkin has even previously done a comedy set in the world of a TV sports desk with the acclaimed, if short lived, SPORTS NIGHT (starring a pre- DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Felicity Huffman). But here, judging from the first trailer for the ten episode series (which airs States-side from June 24th), it looks like Sorkin has been digging deep into the kind of dark, thought-provoking part of his psyche that we haven't seen in a while, within territory that hasn't been mined quite so well since the mid-seventies black comedy NETWORK (staring Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway), as the uber-writer breathes life and debate back to TV with his transferred analysis of the troubles plaguing American society, and the world, alongside the biting intelligence and razor sharp humour we're always hungry to savour, of which no one else in the current screenwriting world seems able to compete with or emulate.

Will breaks the chains and shocks America.

The main cast of THE NEWSROOM.

As his character of news anchorman Will McAvoy breaks out of years of restraint and audience/press criticisms-let loose the Kraken!- to post his aggressive, sometimes shocking, always intelligent views on whats gone wrong with the American way, and beyond, of which an opportunity soon beckons for his networks ailing news channel to reap the rewards of the new whirlwind and regain a superior ratings foothold over its rivals, series star Jeff Daniels, always an actor whom I felt had a dark edge to him beyond the kind of zany comedy he showed in the likes of THE CABLE GUY, or in certain previous roles as a unique type of trodden on hero or second lead, might just have one of the best roles of his career here, working alongside a very high calibre cast of newsroom associates and bosses including Brit star Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterston (getting away from the corridors of power and legality seen during his long running stint on LAW AND ORDER), all of whom look well-cast, and will, I confidently predict, have some terrific Sorkin dialogue and character arcs to become involved in and enthusiastically run with. Such an ambitious and smartly outspoken series as this is even powerful enough to lure that still stunning film icon, eighties keep fit guru, and all-round smart lady, Jane Fonda, into making a cameo appearance as an equally biting and realist news company boss- a performance which we can't wait to see.

Trailer: The Newsroom Season 1: Trailer #1 - YouTube
Behind the scenes: The Newsroom Season 1: Making The Newsroom Promo - YouTube

Look out for more on THE NEWSROOM on KOOL TV in the not too distant future.

GOTHAM'S RECKONING! 'THE DARK KNIGHT RISES'

The final battle. Christian Bale suits up for war in Gotham City, as THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Images: WARNER BROTHERS.

He's fought battles against some of the most belligerent and dangerous foes ever to threaten his blighted, corrupted city of Gotham: from the sinister vagaries of the visceral nightmare machine that was the Scarecrow, the strongest must survive at all costs mentality of Ra's-al Ghul, the wanton destruction and anarchy of the totally insane and colourfully psychopathic Joker, and the twisted malevolence of the revenge fuelled and brutally scarred Two-Face, the once noble and dignified district attorney Harvey Dent. Now, from the ashes of such evil come Batman's most destructive and powerful physical threat yet, the anarchistic terrorist known as Bane, as personified by the breathing masked venom of Tom Hardy in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, the final film from mega-talent Christopher Nolan's written and directed world box office shattering intelligent action/drama blockbuster series featuring the caped crusader, Batman, originally created by Bob Kane, now so well on-screen personified by Christan Bale in a brave and bold cinematic vision far removed from anything previously seen in the character's long life on film and TV screens.

Good versus evil, and Gotham is in chaos.

In a dramatic up scaling of events parallelling whats happening in the real economic world the poor become poorer and the rich become richer in Gotham City, leading to a series of riotous and murderous events ripe for the emerging threat of Bane to take advantage and control of, using a calculated rebellion mixing the worse of Gotham's criminal low life with the embittered denizens of Gotham as a revolution begins, leading to the return of Bruce Wayne as Batman after ten years away from protecting the people, and having been previously branded a fugitive for the murder of Harvey Dent-a scapegoat role he himself decided to take on to preserve his late friends dignity as a moral crusader against evil and corruption, rather than be discovered for his terrifying final life as Two-Face. But, this time around, can even Batman be Strong enough to take on the strength and seemingly unceasing terror tactics of Bane and his life and death changing agenda? And how will his alter-ego of Bruce Wayne be personally and physically caught in the crossfire of the carnage that is Gotham's greatest modern-day nightmare?

Trailers: The Dark Knight Rises - Official Teaser Trailer [HD] - YouTube

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer 2 Official 2012 [HD] - Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway - YouTube

The Dark Knight Rises - Official Trailer #3 [HD] - YouTube

On screen Batman faces his toughest and darkest times yet, but behind the camera, Nolan also has several of his own huge challenges and responsibilities to live up to with his third and final entry in his dramatic crusade to make a realistic and darker hero for our times, not only having to dodge the third sequel is always the weakest syndrome/mantra that has affected Hollywood blockbusters over the last twenty years or so, but also build on and top the the fine work he brought to the previous 2008 movie, THE DARK KNIGHT, with its blitzkrieg of popular and critical success, and the wave of adulation and mourning/tributes that followed the late actor Heath Ledger in his impressive performance as the Joker, as well as the sensational modern sci-fi action hybrid Nolan followed that with: INCEPTION. From the trailers so far, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES certainly looks intriguing, has a story that is certainly sophisticated and relevant to our times, has formidable gritty action large and small scale, and looks set to have a physically formidable performance from the always enjoyable Tom Hardy, who has carved out a strong acting career since his early days on BAND OF BROTHERS and as the bald clone baddie Shinzon in STAR TREK: NEMESIS, as well as the aforementioned INCEPTION.

Heroes and villains! Batman, Catwoman and Bane in three great teaser banners for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.

Friend or foe? Catwoman brings more explosive chemistry to the adrenaline mix.

Lending other anti-hero status to the film, and certainly raising the blood pressure for male viewers in her kinky combat leather, is the lovely Anne Hathaway who brings bitterness and criminal ambition to the role of opportunist high-stakes burglar Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle, whose soon antagonistic will they or won't they relationship with both Batman and Bruce Wayne looks set to be re-imagined and re-ignited in a way slightly different to anything previously established by the no-less impressive Michelle Pfeiffer, alongside Michael Keaton, when she inhabited and dominated the role in Tim Burton's gothic nightmare/black comedy vision that was BATMAN RETURNS. Other fine guest support in the film comes from top-tier INCEPTION stars including Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an impressionable and brave police officer, John Blake, Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard, adding sophisticated French glamour and seductive mystery as Miranda Tate (who may also be the revenge-fuelled daughter of the late Ra's-al Ghul) and maybe, if the on-set spoilers have been correct, a cameo from delightful JUNO actress Ellen Page, no stranger to super heroics with her debut in Brett Ratner's lively third X-MEN movie, rumoured to be playing Barbara Gordon-soon to be Batgirl. The film series regular heavyweight supporting star stalwarts of the series also make a much welcome final bow, including the always enjoyable British acting icon Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne's conscience and confidante, the ever loyal butler Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprise's high tech industrialist and savvy weapons supplier-a modern day Q: Lucius Fox, and Gary Oldman, fresh from his success in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, bringing a fine sense of humanity, decency and bravery in the face of adversity as Commissioner Jim Gordon, whose beleaguered character, always a friend to Batman, faces his toughest challenge yet in leading the fight back against the seemingly overwhelming forces of Bane. More noteworthy genre favourites include Matthew Modine as a new Deputy Commissioner, GAME OF THRONES Aiden Gillen, LOST's Brett Cullen as a sticky politician, TORCHWOOD's Burn Gorman, STARGATE's Christopher Judge and PRISON BREAK's Reggie Lee.

Shattered mask. Is this the end of Batman?

Catching all the breathless action with big screen IMAX cameras (including a stunning mid-air hijack opener and a soaring new Batwing fighter in aerial action above Gotham), on the behind the scenes front Nolan brings his usual talented array from the previous two BATMAN films to bear with full creative force, including co-scripter brother Jonathan, composer Hans Zimmer (who has created an ominous new theme of moody chanting for Bane, as well as a true clash of titans movement for Batman and Bane's fist clashing), and cinematography from Wally Pfister. Released from July 20th in the UK by WARNER BROTHERS, custodians of the DC COMICS film and TV realised universe, expect the eagerly anticipated website crashing fan base of Dark Knight fans to rally, not just here but in their worldwide millions, to see, enjoy and speculate on what will hopefully be their favourite comic book hero's greatest on-screen hours.

Here's a few more links related to the film:

'The Dark Knight Rises' Trailer Teases Batman's Suffering, More Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway (Video) - Hollywood Reporter

Six Amazing 'The Dark Knight Rises' Banners Storm The Web - Forbes

6 new photos from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ - Batman-News.com

latino-review.com by Mobify

TRUE GRIT: 'SPIRAL' SEASON TWO

Sorting out the trash. The cast of the acclaimed SPIRAL Season Two. Image: CANAL+

The scum and villainy of the Parisian underworld comes out to play in the welcome repeat of the second season of the hit French police/legal crime thriller SPIRAL, created by Alexandra Clert and Guy-Patrick Sainderichin for CANAL+, starting in double episode screenings on the UK's BBC 4 from tonight (their European TV strand a stand-out treat, and deserved success, on weekends this past two years). And if you thought that first season was tough and uncompromising-a true character drama precursor to the kind of successful elements taken up a more stylistically brutal notch in BRAQUO these days, then you haven't seen this one, as a burnt out corpse found in a car, at first thought to be a singular case of disturbing gang retribution violence branches out into something far more rotten and corrupt for the detective team led by the spirited and volatile lady detective Captain Laure Berthaud (the very French Caroline Proust) and her loyal but always in trouble, always in-fighting team (including a noteworthy performance from Thierry Godard as the in and out of drugs rehabilitation Gilou), often just as dangerous as the criminals they pursue, delve into the dangerous undercurrents of international trafficking and arms dealing- a world of money, power and violence in which rising star Audrey Fleurot's hot-headed, spunky, overly ambitious lawyer Josephine Karlsson, broke and looking for a way to get her life together, will soon be caught up in its vice like grip and seemingly unable to escape.

Trailer: Spiral / Engrenages - Season 2 - Trailer (Totally Serialized) - YouTube


Seasons One to Three of SPIRAL are available on DVD from the BBC/2ENTERTAIN.

POLITICAL ANIMAL! KELSEY GRAMMER IS 'BOSS'

One mean Mayor! Kelsey Grammer is BOSS. Images: LIONSGATE/STARZ.

If there's one thing that US TV does so well-high over the shoulders of many of its British and European rivals and counterparts-it's powerful and memorable political dramas, with finely crafted characters and skulduggery galore. It's a tradition of back-stabbing, manoeuvring, and kiss the girls to make them cry attitudes berthed in the human psyche of many of the power players in real life American society (with the rest of the world slowly but surely catching up!) that's so compelling and ripe for adaptation and transferring into thinly veiled artistic fantasy. With such seminal prior examples around since the mid-seventies onwards, like the terrific mini-series WASHINGTON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, to the more amiable comedy-drama antics of the perfect Oval Office, as well as lots of corridor talking, so resplendent in Aaron Sorkin's THE WEST WING, now comes the shady dealings and intrigue of BOSS.

It hasn't arrived yet on UK TV shores, but I'm hearing great things States-side about it, especially as a new vehicle for ex-Seattle comedy psychiatrist Frasier Crane portrayer Kelsey Grammer, showing him at his decidedly darkest, serious, razor sharp and controlling best in a first season, eight episode run (with a second year coming soon) about the day to day emotional and calculating infighting, power wrestling and rising ambitions of fictional (Thank, God!) Chicago Mayor Tom Kane, who makes British Mayors Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone look as if they're still in Kindergarten, keeping his debilitating and untreatable brain disease secret from friends (a different kind of mental health issue to the one he had in his comedy series!), family and staffers alike whilst embarking on his personal mission/crusade to keep the city's political power, muscle and prestige to himself at all costs, and in the face of what will be a difficult re-election campaign. As this event intensifies, so will Kane's blunt aggression, sorting out a few old scores along the way to make sure he comes out top, and even prepared to use and possibly sacrifice his fractured family in the process (including GLADIATOR's yummy Connie Nielsen as his wife Meredith, and Hannah Ware as his drug abusing daughter, Emma).

In control? Grammer as Chicago Mayor Tom Kane.

At a political function with wife Meredith (Connie Nielsen).

Trailer: Boss - Trailer 1 - YouTube

Created by rising star Farhad Safinia for LIONSGATE FILMS and the STARZ channel (executive produced by Grammer (in his first major series drama lead) with movie icon Gus Van Sant, the first season run of BOSS, with great guest turns from the likes of HILL STREET BLUES Daniel J. Travanti and Martin Donovan, as well as calibre directors including DAMAGES Mario Van Peebles, has earned rave reviews for the title star and the series in general, many of whom have cited it for being a more than accurate look at politics and manipulation behind the scenes.

Season One of BOSS is now available in the US on Blu-ray. Look out for more on the show, and its upcoming second season, on KOOL TV in the not too distant future...