Letterboxd: V/H/S/2 (2013); AFTER EARTH (2013)

★★★ (out of five)

The sequel to V/H/S (a sort of a 'found footage' anthology inspired by REC) is better than its predecessor, but only because the four tales cut to the chase much sooner and don't outstay their welcome. V/H/S/2 retains the conceptual problems (VHS being a dead format it's bizarre to imagine anyone still using, and who's editing these stories together?), but it would be churlish to condemn V/H/S/2 for these reasons. All you really need to know is: are these found footage vignettes scary and worth your time? The answer is yes, for the most part.

The framing narrative ("Tape 49", directed by Simon Barrett) is stronger than the first movie's, as two private investigators go looking for a missing college student and discover a stack of VHS tapes in his abandoned home. While one checks the house, the other plays the tapes...

"Phase I – Clinical Trials" from director Adam Wingard (promoted from framing narrative duty on V/H/S) is the least-plausible of the four stories. A patient (Wingard himself) is given a cutting-edge artificial eye that is also recording everything he sees, and discovers the ocular implant enables him to see ghosts. It's THE EYE in the found footage medium, and mostly provided a string of jump-scares when the patient keeps being spooked by ghosts that are haunting his house. Were these ghosts always there, but only now seem to intent on scaring the patient silly because he can see them? I have no idea, as Wingard only really seems interested in his jump-scares. It's the first-person shooter of ghost stories. (★★ out of five)

SHERLOCK series 3 premiering New Year's Day; THE WALKING DEAD's UK premiere shortened for 2014

The BBC have confirmed the third series of Sherlock will début on New Year's Day, exactly as the second series did back in 2012 (but does this mean it's airing on Wednesday evenings for the entirety of its three-week run?) American viewers will have to wait almost a month, as PBS won't broadcast it until 19 January 2014.

Fox UK have also announced their plans to reduce the gap between US and UK broadcast of The Walking Dead. Currently, British fans wait five days for a Friday night premiere, but Fox UK will begin showing episodes on Mondays (the day after their US début on AMC). I'm not sure what has encouraged this change, but I'm sure piracy has a lot to do with it. Or to protect the audience from spoilers? It'll be interesting to see if Fox UK see an upswing in ratings next year, now Brits only have 24-hours to wait—as Sky Atlantic treat Game of Thrones.

MISFITS, 5.6 – episode six

written by Howard Overman | directed by Lewis Arnold

A mixed hour this week, which is often the way with Misfits. The gang were tasked with entertaining a group of terminally ill youngsters at the community centre; with Finn (Nathan McMullen) uncovering a bald charlatan chasing sympathy shags, while a skin cancer patient called Lucas (Ade Oyefoso) succumbs to temptation and uses his super-power of stealing the 'life-force' from others—resulting in death and an attempted suicide.

The BBC announce 'The Time of The Doctor'; Matt Smith's DOCTOR WHO Christmas farewell

Matt Smith's final hour as The Doctor is less than a month away, with Doctor Who riding high after a 50th anniversary special that delighted the majority of fans and casual viewers alike. How can writer Steven Moffat possibly top 3D spectacylar "The Day of The Doctor"? In terms of scope and fan-pleasing, he probably won't – but let's hope the 50th special's focus on emotion and dilemma will continue. He may not be getting a two-parter swansong, but the Eleventh Doctor deserves a thrilling exit.

HOMELAND, 3.9 – 'One Last Time'

written by Barbara Hall | directed by Jeffrey Reiner

We're approaching the end of this third season, which has seen opinion split rather harshly, but I still maintain that Homeland's an entertaining drama that's only suffered because it chose to continue story elements that had a natural end long ago. That said, episodes have slowly started to spin some magic on me, and I must say I found "One Last Time" to be one of my favourite hours of the show this year. Is that saying much at this moment in time? That's up to you to decide, but this episode brought Saul's (Mandy Patinkin) masterplan out of the shadows and brought Brody (Damien Lewis) back into the crux of the story very effectively.

KNIFEMAN and GALYNTINE join AMC pilots; including WHITE CITY, LINE OF SIGHT, HALT & CATCH FIRE, and TURN

AMC lost the phenomenal Breaking Bad this year, and they're losing the prestigious Mad Men in 2015 (it would have been next year, had they not decided to split the final season), so they're on the hunt for new hits. The Walking Dead is a ratings juggernaut that beggars belief, so they're working on a spin-off nobody was demanding, but clearly they need to start thinking about their future. After all, nobody really cares about their Western drama Hell on Wheels (although It keeps being renewed in lieu of anything better to replace it with), and The Killing's has now been offloaded to Netflix for an improbable fourth season.

TV Picks: 25 November – 1 December 2013 (Charlie Brooker's How Videogames Changed the World, Legacy, Show Me the Telly, etc.)

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

Trailer: SHERLOCK - series 3; DOCTOR WHO - 2013 Christmas Special

The BBC wisely chose to premiere the trailer for Sherlock's third series after last night's Doctor Who anniversary special, so I've embedded it above. There isn't much you can speculate on based on the footage here, but it does enough to get me excited for the show's return. No idea when that'll be exactly, but the smart money's on early-January.

50 Greatest Moments from DOCTOR WHO's 'The Day of The Doctor'

50 years after Doctor Who was first broadcast, almost to the moment, how fitting to begin this anniversary special with a reprise of 1963's opening titles.

MSN TV: BBC1's DOCTOR WHO - 'The Day of The Doctor'

Today over at MSN TV: I've reviewed one of the most eagerly-anticipated TV events of the year -- the DOCTOR WHO 50th anniversary 3D spectacular, "The Day of The Doctor". Matt Smith is united with his predecessor David Tennant, with John Hurt and Billie Piper along for the ride...

A television show celebrating a half-centenary is rare, but doubly so for a drama that began life as a Saturday night schedule filler in 1963. In fact, it's worth remembering Doctor Who is the first show to cross this particular milestone. Hype and expectations for this anniversary special were sky-high, but no matter what your opinion is of showrunner Steven Moffat, he has the imagination, capability, and beating fan-boy heart to ensure a rousing spectacle with zip, wit and humour. And despite criticism Moffat tends to favour plot gymnastics over heartfelt emotion, I was heartened to find The Day of The Doctor built on relatable issues of regret, loss, hope, heroism, teamwork, and redemption.

Continue reading at MSN TV...