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On Wednesday 12 March 2025, BBC Two broadcasts Celebrity Antiques Road Trip!

Nigel Planer v Alexei Sayle Season 13 Episode 12 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Celebrity Antiques Road Trip,” titled “Nigel Planer v Alexei Sayle,” promises a delightful blend of humor and history. This episode features two iconic figures from the world of alternative comedy, Alexei Sayle and Nigel Planer, as they reunite for a fun road trip. Driving a classic 1969 Mgc Roadster, the duo will explore the beautiful landscapes of Northumberland while searching for antiques to sell for profit.

As they travel, Alexei and Nigel will be joined by antiques experts Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton. Their guidance will help the comedians navigate the world of antiques, ensuring they make smart choices along the way. Viewers can expect to see the group uncovering unique items, with Alexei’s eclectic taste leading to some interesting finds. Among the treasures they discover are a striking yellow chair,...

In the upcoming episode of “Celebrity Antiques Road Trip,” viewers can look forward to a delightful reunion between two legends of alternative comedy, Alexei Sayle and Nigel Planer. This season 13 episode, titled “Nigel Planer v Alexei Sayle,” promises a blend of humor and antiques as the duo embarks on a road trip through the beautiful landscapes of Northumberland.

Driving in a classic 1969 Mgc Roadster, Alexei and Nigel will explore the region while hunting for unique antiques to sell for profit. With the help of antiques experts Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton, they will navigate the world of collectibles, showcasing their distinct tastes along the way. The episode will feature some quirky finds, including a bright yellow chair, a charming French light fitting, and even a bronzed pug.

Fans of comedy and antiques alike will enjoy watching Alexei and Nigel’s banter as they reminisce about their past while competing to find the best treasures.

Dawn French is returning to the BBC to star in sitcom Can You Keep A Secret?, and here are the details.

Dawn French came to prominence alongside comedy partner Jennifer Saunders in the alternative comedy boom of the 1980s, where they honed their craft at The Comedy Store and, later, The Comic Strip. That was alongside the likes of Alexei Sayle, Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Peter Richardson and Nigel Planer.

After appearing in The Young Ones, several Comic Strip films and Ruby Wax’s sitcom Girls On Top, French and Saunders starred in their eponymous sketch show, which ran on and off for over 30 years.

While Saunders became a solo star with Absolutely Fabulous, French played Gereldine Granger in Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer’s The Vicar of Dibley, which grew into one of Britain’s most beloved sitcoms.

According to Deadline, French is returning to the BBC to star...

The long awaited follow up to Rob Reiner’s comedy classic This Is Spinal Tap has begun filming, lots of musical cameos have also been confirmed.

There is only one comedy film which turns the laughs up to eleven, and that is if course Rob Reiner’s 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap. Though technically The Comic Strip team of Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Peter Richardson got there first a year earlier with the excellent Bad News, which is well worth seeking out of you’ve never had the pleasure.

This Is Spinal Tap is often cited as one of the funniest films ever made, with musicians frequently applauding the accuracy of several scenes, from petty band squabbles to getting lost backstage and over the top props onstage.

The cast – Reiner, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest – will reprise their roles as documentarian Martin ‘Marty’ Dibergi,...

BritBox is bringing more of Britain’s best across the pond and around the world! This month, the best-of-British TV and film streamer will be adding several titles, from critically acclaimed debuts to historical miniseries. Binge BAFTA-winning projects, including Michaela Coel’s “Chewing Gum,” the series finale of “There She Goes,” and get ready for this year’s Ee BAFTA Film Awards, which will once again be simulcast on the streamer on Sunday, Feb. 18 for BritBox subscribers in the United States, Canada, and five other countries.

Ready to watch? Continue below to see The Streamable’s top picks for BritBox’s February additions, and find out everything joining the platform this month!

7-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month BritBox.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to BritBox in February 2024? “Chewing Gum” | Thursday, Feb. 1

The two-season comedy series won just as many BAFTAs for creator and star Michaela Coel, her...

With the cancelation of Netflix's Lockwood & Co., fans will likely never get another glimpse into the alternate present-day London plagued by spirits. Still, the show possessed a lot of promise, mainly due to the original YA novel series acting as its source material, so there would've been much to work with if a second season had emerged. Either way, ending it prematurely has left some unfinished plotlines and unanswered questions.

The show built quite a social media following, specifically around Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman) and Lucy Carlyle (Ruby Stokes). Additionally, Lockwood & Co.'s world has been praised for how organic and lived-in it feels, and it most certainly is -- the series doesn't waste time with exposition. Instead, it jumps in and exposes viewers to the same environment that Lockwood, Lucy and George Karim (Ali Hadji-Heshmati) don't think twice about. Consequently, the show leaves several voids (particularly with viewers...

Netflix's Lockwood & Co. has accrued a loyal fanbase, even with the streaming service's decision to cancel the show after one season. The series had lots of potential, and its premise was compelling. Nonetheless, the cancelation hinders fans' access to further developments in the budding romance between Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman) and his recent recruit, Lucy Carlyle (Ruby Stokes). The pair's romantic tension was one of the series' most intriguing throughlines and created speculation among viewers, especially by comparing the two paranormal investigators to another famous sci-fi thriller couple: Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).

The X-Files delved deep into the bizarre and ghastly over its 11-season run. Still, the initial platonic partnership between its two main characters matured into a legendary television romance, eventually entering the era's pop culture lexicon in its own right. Nevertheless, while comparing the two couples' relationships is warranted, more similarities connect Lockwood & Co.

Lockwood & Co. coming to Netflix just six weeks after the streaming service cancelled its last solid adaptation of a British fantasy YA book series in The Bastard Son & The Devil Itself, feels a bit like getting a new puppy after your last one was run over. You’re happy it’s here, obviously, but there’s a tug of wariness about getting too attached.

It’s very easy to get attached to this eight-episode ghost story about three teens running a supernatural detective agency. The cast is charming, the characters are likeable and their world – in which a nightly curfew and platoons of rapier-bearing teens protects London from spectral attack – is solidly conceived.

There are ongoing mysteries plus episodic encounters and an evolving Scooby Gang dynamic between its young leads. It has a touch of Harry Potter plus a touch of Being Human, and families who enjoyed Wednesday together could...

The new diversity is welcome, but the Nomadland director’s socio-realist touches left me missing the brash humour and energy

To paraphrase Mrs Merton: what first attracted director Chloé Zhao to the idea of directing something in the colossally lucrative Marvel franchise? Or, to paraphrase Nigel Planer’s fictional actor Nicholas Craig: were they offering Zhao a staggering amount of scope to develop the project?

At all events, it was an interesting idea to hire the brilliant Oscar-winning film-maker Zhao, known for social-realist docudramas such as Nomadland and The Rider. But the very few authorial touches that she manages to bring to Eternals – some Terrence Malick-ish “golden hour” sunset scenes – only go to show how dominant the formula actually is. Perhaps there is the question of tone; I had the uncomfortable feeling that the all-important brash humour, DayGlo energy and operatic craziness of superheroism were being downplayed in...

Rik Mayall wasn’t just a comedy genius, he was at the fundamental core of British comedy from the 80s’ until his untimely death. ‘Al Pacino: The Movies Behind The Man’ author and broadcaster, Mark Searby sheds light into the creative work of the man in his new book ‘Rik Mayall: Comedy Genius’.

With a career born from frustrations, opinions and political strains of the working class in the 1980s, Mayall and a motley crew of young fresh talent led the uprising of alternative comedy. Taking a lead from Punk music, they took no prisoners. It was politically incorrect, anarchic and stuck two fingers up to the establishment and furthermore, it stood for something. In its new form, Mayall and his compadres had made comedy into a vessel to speak freely and represent the feelings of a fresh, passionate and raw new generation, something that has since been remixed...

Patty Jenkins is now known as the director behind celebrated films “Monster” and “Wonder Woman,” as well as the recent gritty TNT limited drama series “I Am the Night.” But her first passion is comedy — and in particular, surreal, absurdist comedy.

“A lot of my friends who I’d known in the comedy world, in the ’90s, in New York, were shocked [after ‘Monster’ was released],” she told Variety‘s “My Favorite Episode” podcast. “They were sort of like, ‘we all thought you were, like, a comedy person — what happened?'”

Jenkins said she’s been obsessed with comedy since listening repeatedly to Steve Martin’s “Wild and Crazy Guy” album. “There was something about edgy, interesting comedy that always has really delighted me and caught my imagination,” she said. “I always was, all through my youth, going out of my way to find kind of underground, comedic things.”

As she...

Louisa Mellor Feb 6, 2018

Inside No. 9 signs off its impressive fourth series with a classic morality tale. Spoilers ahead in our review…

This review contains spoilers.

See related 35 must-watch movies in 2017

4.6 Tempting Fate

It’s an idea so perfect and inevitable that it must have dawned on Inside No. 9’s writers like an sunrise. What is it that makes number nine so very unlucky for some? What is behind the countless murders, accidents and ruined lives of those residing in, or temporarily occupying, a number nine? It must be a curse, surely.

It is. Specifically, a cursed object that links every tortuous story this pair has told since a gaggle of partygoers crowded inside a French Cherrywood wardrobe to play a game of Sardines. A bronze hare ornament can be spotted in every single Inside No. 9 (and one League Of Gentlemen) episode*. It’s been tucked away on shelves, displayed on mantlepieces and bedside tables,...

Louisa Mellor Dec 13, 2017

We’ve taken a highlighter to this year’s Christmas and New Year TV schedules and circled what we’ll be watching this festive season…

Amid the cosy repeats and cranberry-stuffed cookery shows on TV over the next few weeks are a few gems. There’s no Sherlock or Charlie Brooker’s TV Wipe this year, but there are plenty of treats, not least the return of The League Of Gentlemen for a three-part anniversary series and Peter Capaldi’s last hurrah in the Tardis in the Doctor Who Christmas episode.

See related 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017

Over on Netflix, six new episodes of Black Mirror are coming to usher in the New Year, two days into which we welcome the return of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s genius anthology Inside No. 9.

Not to gloss over a spooky M.R. James night on BBC Four,...

We're getting our first look at the horror anthology movie Nightmare Cinema that features five shorts from five different genre film directors that include Mick Garris, Joe Dante, David Slade, Ryuhei Kitamura and Alejandro Brugues.

Similar to other iconic anthology films like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, this movie centers on a group of individuals who enter the rundown Rialto Theatre. Their deepest and darkest fears are brought to life onscreen by the theater's projectionist (Rourke), a mysterious man who holds the nightmarish futures of all who attend — and cannot escape — his screenings.

Based on that description, one could possibly compare Rourke's role in the movie as host of sorts, similar to The Crypt Keeper in the popular horror series Tales From the Crypt.

THR shared the exclusive photo of Mickey Rourke as the creepy caretaker. and a few other images from the film. Check them out below!

Mickey Rourke is serving the scares in The Hollywood Reporter's exclusive first look at Nightmare Cinema.

The horror anthology movie from Cinelou Films features shorts from five genre directors: Mick Garris, Joe Dante, David Slade, Ryuhei Kitamura and Alejandro Brugues.

Altogether echoing classic anthology series like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, the movie centers on a group of down-on-their-luck individuals who enter the decrepit Rialto Theatre. Their deepest and darkest fears are brought to life onscreen by The Projectionist (Rourke), a mysterious, ghostly figure who holds the nightmarish futures of all who attend — and cannot escape — his screenings.

Garris is producing...

Rob Leane Oct 23, 2017

Bryan Cranston chats to us about his involvement in Channel 4 and Amazon’s Phillip K. Dick anthology series, Electric Dreams...

Amazon and Channel 4’s Philip K. Dick anthology series, Electric Dreams, adapts ten of the iconic author’s short stories into hour-long TV dramas.

The show has the mighty Bryan Cranston involved as an actor and an executive producer. This marks the second Amazon production that Cranston has pulled double duty on, following on from Sneaky Pete.

Along with a bunch of other journalists, Den Of Geek took part in a roundtable interview with Cranston on the set of Electric Dreams, on an offensively hot day back in June. Here’s how it went...

I think what we all want to know is the genesis of how Electric Dreams came together.

It did come together. I bumped into Michael Dinner, who was a director that I knew,...

Mickey Rourke is running the show in Nightmare Cinema, a horror anthology movie from Cinelou Films that features short films from five genre directors.

Mick Garris, Joe Dante, David Slade, Ryuhei Kitamura and Alejandro Brugues each helm a short in the movie, which is described as echoing classic anthology series like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. It centers on a group of down-on-their-luck individuals who enter the decrepit Rialto Theatre. Their deepest and darkest fears are brought to life onscreen by The Projectionist (Rourke), a mysterious, ghostly figure who holds the nightmarish futures of all who attend — and cannot...

With sci-fi having a big presence in pop culture today, it’s surprising that we haven’t seen shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits make a comeback to tell a variety of short stories with strange happenings. Netflix’s Black Mirror has filled that void to some extent, but now Amazon has their own sci-fi […]

The post ‘Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams’ Trailer: Amazon’s Answer to ‘Black Mirror’ appeared first on /Film.

The beauty of the anthology series as an idea is that it is entirely liberating in terms of narrative. Essentially, you're being asked to make a series of short films, the kinds one would find in The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, Black Mirror, and Easy. You can switch styles, tones, aesthetics, themes, genres, directors, actors, writers, and music without having to worry about sustaining some larger arc. No offense to larger arcs - Twin Peaks: The Return is the best series of the year - but this decade is littered with mediocre series that overburdened themselves …...

If you look in the pages of my fifth grade yearbook, you'll find a picture of me smiling next to a framed photograph of Twilight Zone screenwriter, producer, and narrator Rod Serling. The reason for this is because my teacher at the time, Mr. Gizmondi, was obsessed with both The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. On days when my class had earned a reward, Mr. Gizmondi would often... Read More...

If Kino Lorber's recent announcement that the complete The Outer Limits TV series is coming to Blu-ray has you nostalgic for a sci-fi/horror anthology series from the past, then you might be thrilled to hear that Warner Bros. is taking another step forward on their long in-development Twilight Zone movie.

Variety reports that Warner Bros. has set Christine Lavaf to pen a screenplay for the new Twilight Zone film, which will reportedly include a "single story line," as opposed to the multiple segments in 1983's The Twilight Zone: The Movie.

Along with Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Leonardo DiCaprio is set to produce The Twilight Zone movie through his company Appian Way. Back in 2013, Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, Tron: Legacy) was in discussions to direct the movie from a screenplay by Anthony Peckham, but no deal was ever finalized and a new director has yet to be named.

In addition to...

We couldn’t be any happier about this news if we tried! Blu-ray.com is reporting that Kino Lorber has confirmed the release on Blu-ray of The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series. The series will be grouped in two box sets. Season… Continue Reading →

The post Kino Lorber Taking Us to The Outer Limits on Blu-ray appeared first on Dread Central.

Kino Lorber is looking to control "all that you see and hear" with their announcement that they will release the complete original series run of The Outer Limits on Blu-ray and DVD.

Kino Lorber made the exciting announcement on Facebook, revealing that new HD masters of The Outer Limits 1960s TV series will be released soon, with season 1 coming out on a Blu-ray / DVD box set late this year and season 2 set to be released as a box set in early 2018.

Created by Leslie Stevens and featuring 49 episodes of thought-provoking television, The Outer Limits originally aired from 1963–1965 on ABC, giving fans of The Twilight Zone another anthology series to tune into, one that focused more on sci-fi rather than other genres.

And like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits enjoyed a revival decades after its original time on television came to an end, returning with new episodes on Showtime in...

Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.

Metrograph

The Marlene Dietrich retrospective continues, while a series of contemporary French classics begins running.

Miracle Mile and The Spirit of the Beehive also screen.

Film Forum

One of the greatest filmmakers, comedy or otherwise, is put center stage in “The Lubitsch Touch.”

Léon Morin, Priest continues playing, while The Bad News Bears screens on Sunday.

Frankly, this is a slow news day, even on the international front, so I'm bowing to the Force and sharing my 'first time watching Star Wars experience,' in the hopes that you'll have something better to share in the comments section. As I've written before, I was a science-fiction devotee in the 1970s and read as many cheap paperbacks as I could afford to buy at a wonderful local used bookstore, checked out as many hardcover books as I could find at our local libray, and watched as many movies and episodic series as I could find on television -- I loved watching re-runs of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits -- and, naturally, as many movies as I could attend in theaters (not...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Louisa Mellor May 5, 2017

New Channel 4 comedy Loaded is a very funny look at male friendship, money and success, with a strong cast and real depth…

When I meet the cast of Channel 4’s Loaded, it’s at the tail-end of a stretch of interviews during which Samuel Anderson, Nick Helm, Jim Howick and Jonny Sweet have been asked approximately four times an hour what, if they each suddenly received £15m as their app-designing characters do in the show, they’d spend it on. Before I even sit down, Sweet starts to reel off “I’d get a kettle, fill it with gold…”

See related American Gods episode 1 review: The Bone Orchard American Gods cast interview: Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning American Gods: Bryan Fuller interview

Loaded, written by Fresh Meat and Misfits’ Jon Brown isn’t a celebration of wealth. “This show is about how not to enjoy being a millionaire,...

Hulu has announced the new titles that will be available to stream on the platform in May. Next month will see the streaming release of Oscar-nominated films such as Debra Granik’s 2010 drama “Winter’s Bone,” starring Jennifer Lawrence, and Tim Burton’s 2003 fantasy drama “Big Fish.”

Read More: Hulu and Annapurna Announce Streaming Partnership, With Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit Project First in Line

Hulu’s origial series “Casual” returns for a third season on May 23. The original documentary “Becoming Bond,” about the life of George Lazenby, who played James Bond in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” will debut on May 20. Find the list of all titles coming to Hulu in May below.

May 1

Line of Duty: Complete Season 4 (BBC One)

South Park en Español: Complete Season 20 (Comedy Central)

48 Hrs. (1982)

Another 48 Hrs. (1990)

Arrowhead (1952)

A View to a Kill (1985)

The Bad News Bears (1976)

Bad Influence (1990)

Bait Shop...

This summer, the fine folks over at Chiller Films will release Aaron B. Koontz's feature directorial debut, Camera Obscura, in theaters on June 9th and on VOD and Digital on June 13th. In today's Horror Highlights, we also have release details for The Bigfoot Project, Justice Served, and Black Rose, as well as information on Splathouse Productions' Blue Caveman Indiegogo campaign.

Camera Obscura Release Details: Press Release: "New York, NY – April 11, 2017 – Chiller Films is pleased to announce the release of the anticipated horror thriller Camera Obscura, in theaters on June 9 and on VOD and Digital HD on June 13. The film is written by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns and marks the theatrical directing debut of Koontz. The cast includes Christopher Denham (“Billions,” “Argo”), Nadja Bobyleva (“Bridge of Spies”), Catherine Curtin (“Stranger Things,” “Orange is the New Black”), Chase Williamson (Siren, “Beyond the Gates”) and Noah Segan (“The Mind’s Eye,...

Bad news for fans of “The Knick:” Cinemax may be canceling the series after its second season. Although there is no official word from the network, it seems like Steven Soderbergh’s medical drama, starring Clive Owen, may not be returning for a third season.

Read More: ‘Logan Lucky’ First Look: Steven Soderbergh Returns to the Big Screen For the First Time in Four Years

“Yeah, I’ve heard it’s done,” Chris Sullivan, who played ambulance driver Tom Cleary, told TVLine. “They were gonna try [to do a third season], but I’ve heard it’s done.”

The “This Is Us” star added, “I kind of love that British style: two seasons of tight, compact, good television. The more episodes you have, the thinner the episodes get. So I kind of dig that.”

Read More: ‘This Is Us’ Finale: Why It’s Wrong to Obsess Over Jack’s Death, But Right to Be...

What would you say to a new live-action, anthology series based on the short stories of legendary sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, funded by UK's Channel 4, and produced by Ronald D. Moore and Bryan Cranston? Could you maybe squeeze time into your busy schedule for 10 episodes of speculative fiction, from a writer's room whose credits include: Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Justified, Doctor Who, and The Night Manager? Sounds awesome, right? Well, good news, it's called Electric Dreams and it's coming soon to Amazon Prime. 

Anthology series were a regular staple in the early days of television (Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents), but in recent years the standalone format has fallen out of favor. Yet, many people will tell you that their all-time favorite TV episodes were one-off stories, like "Home" (X-Files Season 4) or "Yesterday's Enterprise" (Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3). 

Fortunately, for...

Need to catch up? Check out the previous Nashville recap here.

If you’ve got candles, Nashville fans, now would be a good time to light ’em.

Because Rayna Jaymes, the First Lady of Country Music and keeper of Deacon Claybourne’s heart, survives an attack by a crazed stalker in this week’s episode… only to be involved in a terrible car crash in the hour’s final moments.

It doesn’t look good for Rayna as the episode closes, and that preview of next week’s installment isn’t very comforting, either. And I don’t care how...

Louisa Mellor Apr 7, 2017

Filming is well underway on the fourth series of the brilliant Inside No. 9. Here's who to expect among the guest cast...

Series one and two of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's consistently inventive, continually surprising anthology strand Inside No. 9 have recently landed on Netflix UK, which will hopefully bring it to the attention of those who didn't catch it on the first run. If you're among them, then run, don't walk, etc. It's simply one of the best shows around.

See related  The X-Files: an episode roadmap for beginners The X-Files: Fox wants more episodes in 2018 Dirk Maggs Interview: Hitchhiker's, Douglas Adams, Superman, Batman, & more...

And thrillingly, more of it is incoming. Hot on the heels of the recently aired third series, filming is already well underway on a fourth, to comprise six new standalone stories.

As soon as there's a sniff of an official broadcast date,...

Mark Oakley Jan 18, 2017

Canadian sci-fi series Travelers presents a genuinely fresh and fascinating vision of time travel, and boasts a strong cast...

Warning: contains some episode one plot details.

See related Power Rangers, boob armour, and impractical costumes

Television’s love affair with time travel goes back a long way. Naturally, Doctor Who was one of the early proponents of the genre and since then there have been many successful (and many less so) series bringing time travel to the small screen. Quantum Leap mixed science with humour, drama and humanity, Continuum brought some genuinely intelligent ideas and Legends Of Tomorrow has thrown a whole lot of heroes into a mainstream tale of time travel and derring-do.

Over the past twelve months, time travel has been something of a go-to for TV schedules with Timeless, Frequency and mini-series 11.22.63 all coming up with something fresh to say. One show that seems...

Surprise! The 2016 North American box office total is slightly higher than 2015’s $11.13 billion. Yes, the record has been broken (it should reach $11.4 billion). But that doesn’t mean record-breaking attendance; ultimately, it’s increased ticket prices that get the credit.

With minor inflation this year, theaters sold slightly more tickets in 2016. After a summer dip, it looked unlikely that the year could catch up with last year’s jumbo summer and holiday seasons, led by the year-end “Star Wars” reboot.

Check out why 2016 beat 2015 below, along with our box-office charts revealing the surprising theatrical winners and losers of the year — based not on grosses, but on real profits and losses.

The Good News

Smart opening dates elevated a majority of the top-grossers that were released outside the five prime months (May-July, November-December). That allowed more appealing films to thrive for longer periods with less competition, as well as fill in...

Fa la la la la, la la la laaaaaa!

Tis the season for us to dig into our gift bags and deliver, to our loyal and new readers alike, the best wishes we can bestow upon fellow TV Fanatics.

These are the types of presents that may have come only once in a lifetime. You may have already enjoyed them, or some may be completely new to you.

Hopefully, you'll find something in this sack Santa carries directly from us to you that you can experience for the first time.

May your days be bright, your holidays light and while with family and friends you unite (I couldn't resist).

1. A Gift of Sports Night from Brittany Frederick My eternal wish in life is that everyone watches Sports Night. So I would give that show to the world and let us experience its awesomeness over again. Because it's still the best show I've ever seen,...

A girl is warned by her family to not leave their bunker, lest she runs into the monsters that now prowl the Earth. Curiosity has a way of pushing people to explore, however, and what this girl discovers above ground is not at all what she expects in the short film Monsters, which you can watch in its entirety right here on Daily Dead.

"The Twilight Zone… The Outer Limits… Alfred Hitchcock Presents… These stories shocked us, scared us, and forever imbedded themselves into our memories. They were social commentaries and morality tales, disguised as psychological thrillers. But where are these types of stories today?

The truth is, they don’t make them anymore. So we want to tell one of our own.

Monsters is a Twilight Zone style story for the modern world. It seethes with suspense from its first moment, all the way up to its jaw-dropping finale.

Kirsten Howard Oct 18, 2016

As we approach the 10th anniversary of The Lost Room, we reminisce about the series with co-creator Christopher Leone...

Many people pine for the one that got away. For a swathe of science fiction fans, their great lost love is Joss Whedon’s space western show Firefly, but for a few of us there was also another sci-fi show cruelly cut off in its prime after just a few great episodes in the 00s – and that show is The Lost Room.

See related Arrow season 5 exclusive: Kevin Smith talks Onomatopoeia Arrow season 4 episode 23 review: Schism Legends Of Tomorrow: exploring season 1’s cliffhanger ending Supergirl: Melissa Benoist talks season 1 cliffhanger, impending crossovers

I didn’t have access to SyFy (which was still going by Sci-Fi Channel back then) when The Lost Room aired, so I missed it. Turns out I wasn’t the only one -...

Sneak Peek complete episodes of the outer space TV series "Métal Hurlant Chronicles" aka "Heavy Metal Chronicles" based on the erotic comics anthology by illustrator Jean 'Moebius' Giraud.

Directed by Guillaume Lubrano, the France/UK co-production series debuted in France.

The 26-minute episodes focus on 'sexy stories in a sci-fi setting'.

Cast includes Scott Adkins, Joe Flanigan, James Marsters, Michael Jai white, Rutger Hauer, Darren Shahlavi, Kelly Brook and Matt Mullins.

"...in the lineage of fantastic series such as 'Twilight Zone' or 'The Outer Limits', 'Metal Hurlant Chronicles' is the adaptation of the world renowned magazine of the same name.

"Discover the live versions of these exceptional comics by the writers of 'X Men' , 'Batman' , 'Spider-man' , 'Iron Man' and 'GI Joe' .

  

"Fitted for the international market, each episode is 26 minutes long, composed of one story involving Action, Heroic Fantasy, Science Fiction..."

Click...

Project Name: The Art of Dumping

Asking For: $7,550 on Indiegogo

Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $1,337

Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 9

Description: Black Mirror has shown it is possible to marry the old-school, serialized thrills of The Twilight Zone with a sermon about technology. Now, The Art of Dumping will attempt to accomplish something similar. Amy Leonard's planned web series will examine breakups of all shapes and sizes while throwing it plenty of far-out swerves along the way.

According to its Indiegogo page, The Art of Dumping will be a show that "takes dating stories and throws them into the outer limits of reality." We can only assume that description is referencing the 60s TV show The Outer Limits, which is often compared to The Twilight Zone and is particularly famous for its wild twists. Basically, we know Art of Dumping is gonna get weird,...

The fantasy horror film Tale of Tales, starring Salma Hayek, will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD on September 6th. Also in today’s Highlights: Old 37 on ChillerTV, CryptTV’s partnership with Inkshares, a clip and poster from The House on Pine Street, and release details for Bb.

Tale of Tales Blu-ray / DVD Release Details: “A grim, gorgeous, grown-up fairytale full of princes and princesses, sorcerers and fairies, and monsters and ogres, the epic fantasy horror film Tale of Tales makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut September 6th, 2016, from Shout! Factory. Starring Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, John C. Reilly, Toby Jones, and Shirley Henderson, Tale of Tales unleashes a barrage of mind-bogglingly exquisite and fantastical imagery as it brings to life the misadventures of three kings, based on stories of magic and the macabre by 17th-century folklorist Giambattista Basile.”

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Old 37 Airings on Chiller TV: Press Release: “August 23rd , 2016 – Old 37...

Critics be damned, but Warner Bros.’ latest D.C. Comics offering, “Suicide Squad,” will again prevail at the box office this weekend, against three new wide releases: “Sausage Party” (Sony), “Pete’s Dragon” (Buena Vista) and “Florence Foster Jenkins” (Paramount). However, it’s unclear whether “Sausage” or “Dragon” will come in second place.

Also up for debate is how much, if any, improvement we’ll see from the same weekend in 2015, when “Straight Outta Compton” dominated a Top Ten that totaled $130 million. Assuming “Suicide” doesn’t replicate the 69% second weekend collapse of “Batman v Superman” (that would place it around $40 million), and the new openings do expected business, $140 million or more is likely.

While holding the top spot for two weekends is always a nice bragging right, the real fate of “Suicide” lies in determining the profit it can eke out against a production and marketing budget of more than $300 million.

Jo Satana will be delivering reviews from films exhibiting at the 2016 Fantasia International Film Festival!

I find it fitting how the first film to relieve the stress I accumulated after a whole year without Fantasia was by shoegazing fetish auteur Steven Shainberg. The director behind one of the most approachable sub/dom kink flics to “get it right” in Secretary, Shainberg’s return to filmmaking after a ten-year hiatus is Rupture. How’s that for buildup?

Rupture dives into the scifi/horror pool and stars this era’s Sigourney Weaver, Noomi Rapace. Rapace plays Renee Morgan, a single mom who is doing her best to provide a nurturing family environment for her teenage son, while at the same time trying to feed other instinctual urges. After dropping her kid off with his father before meeting a friend for a skydiving lesson, things go sideways as she’s kidnapped and held...

The highly anticipated thriller Feast Of Varanasi premiered to a packed audience on Saturday 5th March as part of the London Asian Film Festival in central London.

Attended by the main cast and crew including director Rajan Kumar Patel, Ashwath Bhatt, Holly Gilbert and award winning producer Caroline O Reilly, the dark thriller has received huge praise from critics and the audience alike. Guests included: The Mayor and Mayoress of Kingston Upon Thames, EastEnder’s star Nitin Ganatra, comedian and playwright Nigel Planer and actress Seeta Indrani.

Director Rajan Patel commented: “It was great to see so many people support Independent cinema. It’s so important for independent filmmakers to be given a platform to showcase their talent. The whole project from start to finish has been a real labour of love for everyone involved. I have had the good fortune to work with such a wonderful production team and...

Here's something for hardcore cineastes: an incredible restoration of Marcel L'Herbier's avant-garde silent feature, which looks unlike any other movie of its time. The weird story is about a Swedish engineer who wins the hand of famous singer by demonstrating a machine that can revive the dead. The film's designs are by score of famous architects and art notables of the Paris art scene circa 1924. L'Inhumaine Blu-ray Flicker Alley 1924 / Color tints / 1:33 Silent Aperture / min. / Street Date March 1, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Georgette Leblanc, Jacque Catelain, Léonid Walter de Malte, Philippe Hériat, Fred Kellerman, Robert Mallet-Stevens. Cinematography Roche, Georges Specht Art Direction, design, costumes, Claude Autant-Lara, Alberto Cavalcanti, Fernand Léger, Paul Poiret, Original Music Darius Milhaud (originally), Aidje Tafial / Alloy Orchestra Written by Pierre MacOrlan, Marcel L'Herbier, Georgette Leblanc Produced and Directed by Marcel L'Herbier

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Followers of art, architecture, literature and French art movies of the early 1920s...

WWE.com

The full content listing for the upcoming WWE DVD and Blu-ray set on the life and death of Owen Hart has been revealed, courtesy of the Wrestling DVD Network. The list includes all chapter titles for the documentary feature on disc one, as well as all extras, including the full list of matches selected for the package.

Bret Hart recently commented on the documentary portion of the set, sounding very pessimistic about the chances that the documentary will do a good job telling the full story of his brother’s life. Bret believes that WWE is having to walk on egg shells to cater to Owen’s widow, Martha, who is not supporting the DVD release.

Bret told the Fight Network:

“I’m looking forward to it but I’m not really optimistic that it’s going to be a great job. Martha handcuffed them so much. I...

The Comic Strip is set to return with a new spoof focusing on Rebekah Brooks and the phone hacking scandal.

The Comic Strip Presents... The Red Top! - a working title - will star Maxine Peake as the infamous former tabloid editor, alongside Nigel Planer as Rupert Murdoch and Russell Tovey as Andy Coulson.

The show is described as the story of Rebekah, "an innocent and beguiling Northern girl" who through a series of accidental circumstances becomes Chief Executive of News International and gets tied up in a "'70s Watergate-style scandal".

A 75-minute "comic fantasy", the show follows in the footsteps of The Comic Strip's The Hunt for Tony Blair and will see Stephen Mangan reprise his role as the former Labour Prime Minister.

The new special will also star Johnny Vegas, Alexei Sayle, Harry Enfield and John Sessions.

Peter Richardson, who is behind the programme, said: "Like...

Neil Morrissey is starring in series two of ITV's period drama Grantchester.

The actor will appear alongside James Norton and Robson Green, who star as clergyman Sidney Chambers and police inspector Geordie Keating investigating crimes in the 1950s-set village.

Morrissey will play Harding Redmond, the father of teenage girl Abigail (Grace Holley) who is found dead in Grantchester under suspicious circumstances.

He accuses Chambers of having an inappropriate relationship with his daughter - forcing the clergyman to both investigate the girl's murder and clear his name.

But is it too late to save his reputation amongst the residents of Grantchester?

Morrissey said of his new role: "I'm really excited to be joining the cast of Grantchester. It's great to work with James Norton, Robson Green and the rest of the cast, and I can't wait to film in the actual village of Grantchester, which I know is beautiful.

"I'm also...

Give the Emmys credit for at least trying to keep up with the current explosion of quality television.

This year, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences expanded the Best Comedy and Drama Series categories to seven slots each, and they made other minor changes (online voting!) meant to bring the awards into the 21st century. Still, there's more good TV now than even the Academy can keep up with, so the outrage and shock over the snubs and surprises in this morning's Emmy nominations is inevitable. Here are some of the most astonishing omissions and inclusions.

Best Drama Series

The biggest shocker here is the snub of "Empire," the season's breakout hit. Was it too soapy or guilty-pleasure-ish for the Academy to take seriously? Fellow newbie/Twitter sensation "How to Get Away With Murder" was also snubbed. Golden Globe fave "The Affair" got no love, here or in other major categories.

Exclusive: First image from road trip comedy starring Downton Abbey’s Laura Carmichael and Chloe Pirrie.

Regional body Creative England has backed upcoming indie feature Burn Burn Burn.

The road trip comedy is in post-production after a five-week shoot last autumn, with world sales handled by Paris-based sales agent Urban Distribution International (Udi). Udi will screen a teaser at the Efm in Berlin from next week. Urban Distribution will handle in France.

Creative England is supporting the film as part of its production funding programme. Richard Holmes, senior film executive at Creative England, said: “British independent film is the greatest place to nurture talent and we are convinced this team offers huge potential going forward.”

Burn Burn Burn is the feature debut of Chanya Button and is written by Charlie Covell, co-writer of new Channel 4 comedy Banana, Cucumber, Tofu. The new film is partly inspired by the pair’s own friendship.

The women take...

From the Pudsey The Dog movie to Joe Cornish and Roger Ebert, what happens when critics make films themselves?

Arts critics tend to get a rough time of it in the movies. Even looking at this year's awards season hopefuls, Birdman casts a wonderfully scabrous Lindsay Duncan as a theatre critic who is determined to kill the hero's play, and Mr. Turner presents John Ruskin as a lisping, pretentious fop, a representation that has led some to take mild umbrage.

To look even further back, at Ratatouille's sneering Anton Ego, or Lady In The Water's film-savvy 'straw critic', or Theatre Of Blood's gleefully murderous tract, there's not a whole lot of love for critics in film. Any of this might give way to the preconception that critics, especially film critics, don't actually like films and that they're out of touch with both the filmmakers whose works they...