The Following Review

The Following is the best thriller on television at the moment and I am about to tell you why.

The show stars Kevin Bacon as FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who is on a downward spiral after suffering horrendous injuries in tracking and catching serial killer and university Professor Joe Carol, played by James Purefoy.

When Carol escapes a maximum-security prison, the FBI call Ryan back into the fold to try to bring him back into custody. It becomes clear however that Carol has escaped with the aid of a cult of followers that he has gathered on the Internet and together they have a plan to make Ryan’s life a living hell.

The Following has an unrelenting pace that literally keeps you teetering on the edge of your seat for the whole season. The story moves effortlessly between flashbacks to previous events and the constantly ratcheting stakes for the characters.

Follow me under the cut for more on the show! I will warn before any major spoilers.

About Time Review

I'll be the first to admit I was a little apprehensive when the invitation to catch About Time from those lovely folks at Universal popped up in my email. I really haven't enjoyed too many romantic comedy/dramas in my lifetime. I always find them terribly cliched and predictable with horribly unrealistic characters. Sure there's exceptions. Ruby Sparks and 500 Days of Summer spring to mind.

This one did have a few points in it's favour though. I love British humour and I really love some Bill Nighy. I'll see that man in anything. Writer/director Richard Curtis is responsible for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually and Blackadder all of which I am a big fan of. So I went a long still apprehensive but with an open mind.

What I saw exceeded all expectations

Thank GIF it's Friday!

May you one day rock out as much as these dudes are.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - Pilot Review

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - EPISODE 1

This week Joss Whedon and Marvel's highly anticipated Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D dropped. After all the hype leading up to it, can this show possibly live up to expectations? Your Fruitless Pursuits team are onto it! We take a look under the cut as Jeff, Vanessa, Jacinta and Capey all offer different views on how Agent Coulson and Co might shape up.

And if you want more don't forget to tune into the FP Cast podcast early next week for Luke and Courtney's views.

Thursday Threesome- Top Three Soundtracks of 2013 (so far)

Okay, so it's not even October yet, but considering what few soundtracks we have left to look forward to this year, I feel pretty confident in my choices. I am obsessed with music, particularly film scores, but this list is not limited to the music of films, I have also listened to the soundtracks from television shows and video games.

Follow me below the cut to find out what made my list...

DC Comics New 52 - Stryder's Weekly Top 5

It's Week 3 of "Villain's Month" in the DCU!  Once again it was a tough job choosing just 5 titles to highlight for the week, but choose I did!  These comics were all released on September 18, 2013.  Let's take a look:

Lex Luthor #1 - "It's time to stop being selfish.  The World needs Lex Luthor."

Action Comics #23.3 brings us a great Lex Luthor story that also serves as a direct prequel to Forever Evil #1!  We join Superman's greatest foe just as he's being released from prison, having apparently served his time (or at least enough that his lawyers managed a deal)!  Now that Lex is back, he's ready to once more challenge the Man of Steel for supremacy!  Only one problem...the Man of Steel isn't available presently!  Where could he be??

I really liked this comic mainly because it just got into Lex's head extremely well...showing how he thinks, how "in charge" he is and just how complex his plans can be.  Despite his horrible cruelty and ruthlessness, one simply has to admire Lex Luthor's intelligence and drive.  Preferably from far, far away.  People that stay close to Lex seem to have a significantly reduced average lifespan....

So, yeah!  Great comic!

What other fiends have crawled from the murky depths to haunt our comic books this week?  Find out after the JUMP!

Television Roundup #3

It's that time again! What shows have I been watching that I can offer opinions on or that you might like to check out?

This time I look at Better off Ted, Breaking Bad, H+, Hustle and ReGenesis.

The Book Was Better Podcast Episode 61: Dungeons and Dragons (with guest host Sabrina!)

This week our party of bold adventurers delve into the incomprehensible, sordid labyrinth that is the novelization of Dungeons and Dragons: The Movie. And joining me on this ridiculous quest is the fearless Sabrina, as we roll our own heroic characters in order to battle strange prose and Marlon Wayans! What we lack in constitution we make up for in charisma. Or maybe that’s the other way around?

You can download it right now from the official site!

Or why not subscribe to us on iTunes, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation in our friendly Facebook group!

Review: Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters!

Let us first admit that Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters wasn’t made for me. It’s clearly aimed at the teenage audience who may have devoured the book, rather than put out there for me to cynically make fun of. And yet, if Percy Jackson is a fantasy series worthy of being adapted into multiple movies then shouldn’t it have the broad crossover appeal of something like Harry Potter or The Hobbit? Sadly it does not. Simplistic and bland, Sea of Monsters had me struggling to stay awake, despite how many rampaging mythological creatures they threw at the screen. (And the sea didn’t even have very many monsters in it! What a scam!).

So let’s punch Percy in the nob... after the jump!

Pre-Order Hot Toys 1966 Batman and Robin!

BIFF! POW! BANG! Those are three words a lazy writer might use to introduce the pre-order release info for Hot Toys’ upcoming sixth-scale Batman and Robin figures, capturing the likenesses of Adam West and Burt Ward from the sixties Batman TV show and film!

I didn’t develop an interest in Batman until Burton’s 1989 shake-up of the character, and was outwardly dismissive of the sixties series. Turns out I just didn’t understand the joke. Now I’m finally beginning to see the appeal of what was essentially an tribute to the sillier Silver Age, and I think it’s cool that Hot Toys have injected a bit of humour into their galleries, capturing the true spirit of the show. The merchandising rights for 1966 Batman have been tied up for decades, but now they’re finally freed, the floodgates have opened.

You can pre-order these Batman here: Batman - DC Comics Collectibles Batman (1966 Film) DC Comics Sixth Scale Figure ... or Robin here: Batman - DC Comics Collectibles Robin (1966 Film) DC Comics Sixth Scale Figure ... right now from our good friends at Sideshow. Or join me for many more images and mostly ignorant commentary... after the jump!

FPcast! The Fruitless Pursuits Podcast for September 23rd! Grand Theft Awesome!

This week Luke, Jacinta and Suzanne cast their discerning eyes over the largest entertainment release of all time, Grand Theft Auto V! Plus we debate the merits of Avatar sequels, the politics of celebrity visits to Australia, new pilots on US television, and Seth Green’s unseen Star Wars stash. There’s probably more stuff too! And maybe even some things!

Download here! (Click to stream, right-click to save).

Or be a pal and subscribe to us on iTunes and like our Facebook page!