NEWS: Seasonal Thrills Land on LEGEND This December

By Jon Donnis

December on LEGEND feels packed to the rafters with action, cult favourites and a few welcome surprises. The channel is lining up nine premieres across the month, and it leans into the festive mood with a slate that swings from classic crime to sci fi chaos and full throttle adventure. Three heavy hitters from the nineties sit at the heart of it all. Mike Newell's Donnie Brasco with Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, Paul Verhoeven's wild alien invasion epic Starship Troopers, and Robert Rodriguez's stylish revenge tale Desperado with Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantino.

Regular faces also get their moment. Steven Seagal steps into the spotlight with the crime revenge story The Asian Connection. Jason Statham brings his familiar grit to Wild Card. Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg anchor the boxing drama The Fighter with the kind of intensity you would expect from the pair.

There is more to unwrap. Gerard Butler shows up in the fantasy adventure Gods of Egypt. Clive Owen and Naomi Watts pull viewers into global espionage in The International. Chris O'Donnell brings a hit of survival tension in Vertical Limit as he scales K2 in a desperate rescue.

If that is not enough, Charlie's Angels returns with the premiere of Season Four, landing weeknights at six from Thursday the fourth of December.

The schedule kicks off on Thursday the fourth at nine with The Asian Connection. Jack and Sam, two American expatriates, rob a run of banks in Southeast Asia without realising the cash belongs to a drug lord. The fallout is brutal. Sam is killed. Jack turns to Pom, the woman he loves, and the pair push back against the gang.

Saturday the sixth hits a similar beat of danger at nine with Wild Card. Jason Statham plays Nick Wild, a recovering gambling addict who sets out to punish the men who assaulted his friend. The hunt becomes messy once he discovers the man at the centre of it all has serious criminal backing.

A week later on Saturday the thirteenth at nine comes Gods of Egypt. Gods rule over mortals, but when a shift in power threatens the future of the land, a young god and a mortal stand against the usurper. Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Brenton Thwaites and Gerard Butler lead the charge.

Sunday the fourteenth at nine brings Donnie Brasco. Johnny Depp plays undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone, who slips into the mob under the name Donnie Brasco and earns the trust of Al Pacino's weary hitman Lefty Ruggiero. The deeper he goes, the more he realises he is blurring the line between duty and loyalty, and dragging Lefty towards a grim fate.

Thursday the eighteenth at nine shifts to conspiracy and corruption with The International. Clive Owen's Interpol agent Louis Salinger works with Manhattan Assistant DA Eleanor Whitman, played by Naomi Watts, as they attempt to expose a bank involved in financing global conflict. Their chase crosses continents as danger closes in.

Saturday the twentieth at nine raises the stakes once more with Vertical Limit. Chris O'Donnell's Peter Garrett climbs K2 to rescue his sister Annie and her team, trapped high above the point the human body can safely endure. Time is short and every climb could be their last.

Sunday the twenty first at nine delivers The Fighter, a true story centred on two brothers trying to claw their way toward a boxing title that might change their lives and heal their troubled family. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale give the film its weight as they struggle to stay united.

After Christmas, Saturday the twenty seventh at nine brings Starship Troopers. Johnny Rico joins the mobile infantry in an attempt to impress his girlfriend Carmen who dreams of becoming a starship pilot. His motives are shaken after a tragic accident and he chooses to leave, only for Earth to come under attack by an intelligent alien species.

The month closes on Sunday the twenty eighth at nine with Desperado. Antonio Banderas returns as the mariachi who walks into a Mexican town with revenge on his mind. Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi and Quentin Tarantino help bring the heat as he hunts the drug lord who destroyed his past.

It is quite the festive line up. A month of danger, adventure and nostalgia that should keep viewers busy right through to the new year.

TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

PREVIEW: Doctor Plague (2026 Film) - Starring Martin Kemp

Preview by Jon Donis

Martin Kemp might be battling bugs on I'm A Celeb right now, although his latest screen outing throws him into something far nastier. Doctor Plague is a fresh slice of horror that drops the pop icon into a grim hunt across London, where a masked figure stalks the streets with a taste for blood. Miracle Media brings the film to UK audiences on 12 January, and the first look sets quite a tone.

Kemp steps in as John Verney, a worn down detective who has seen far too much, yet somehow not enough to prepare him for this. A killer dressed like a seventeenth century plague doctor is carving through the city, leaving Verney to wonder if the threat is human or something far stranger. The Hollywood News calls the film a unique horror thriller with hints of The Wicker Man, which suits the uneasy atmosphere that hangs over every frame.

It is a sharp contrast to the jungle camp. Instead of clearing trials, Kemp finds himself racing through dark alleys while the mask of the plague doctor glints in the gloom. The question is whether Verney can survive long enough to unmask what is really happening. He is a celebrity after all, so you cannot help hoping he escapes before the clock runs out.

The trailer is ready to view and sets the stage for what looks like a chilling start to the new year.

Doctor Plague is on UK digital 12 January from Miracle Media

REVIEW: Wicked: For Good (2025 Film) - Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Review by Jon Donnis

Wicked: For Good arrives with the weight of expectation on its shoulders, picking up the second act of the stage musical and the story left hanging at the end of the 2024 film. Jon M. Chu once again leans into spectacle, and you can feel the confidence of a director who knows this world inside out. The film looks gorgeous. Every frame seems shaped to draw you deeper into Oz, from the shadowed forests where Elphaba hides to the polished glow of the Emerald City. When the music swells, the production finds its stride. Big show tunes fill the space with energy and feeling, and the film wears its heart on its sleeve with numbers about loyalty, love, and the price of standing firm.

Cynthia Erivo carries the whole thing with remarkable presence. She gives Elphaba real depth, and you can feel every bit of frustration and heartbreak as she fights for the truth and tries to keep hold of whatever hope she has left. Jonathan Bailey gives Fiyero a warmth that helps ground the darker moments, and Jeff Goldblum breezes from charm to menace without ever slipping out of place. The returning ensemble fits neatly into this larger, heavier chapter. Fans of the first film will probably sink straight back into it, pleased to find much of the original tone still intact.

That said, the cracks show. The film sits at 2 hours and 18 minutes, and you feel every minute of it. For all the time it spends lingering on detail, the ending somehow rushes by in a blur. It leaves you wondering why the pacing could not have been tightened in the earlier acts. Ariana Grande's Glinda never quite settles either. Her performance feels oddly muted in a story that demands a far stronger emotional punch from her character. The film tries to recapture the magic of its predecessor, although the first one was not exactly beloved across the board. That comparison ends up highlighting the weaker moments here. There is spectacle, yes, but that spark that lifts a musical into something truly memorable never fully appears.

There is a sense throughout that the studio wanted lightning to strike twice. The first film drew huge attention thanks to relentless promotion. This one feels like an attempt to follow that momentum rather than create something that stands on its own. Whether that pays off remains to be seen. It could settle comfortably into fan favourite territory, or it could fade beneath the inevitable chatter about sequel fatigue.

Wicked: For Good will please viewers who already loved the first film, and they may even find it adds emotional weight to moments they already cared about. Beyond that crowd, it may struggle to justify its length or its timing. Even so, I would still give it a generous 7 out of 10.

In Cinemas Now!

COMPETITION: Win The Ballad of Wallis Island on Blu-ray

One of the most heart-warming films of the year, The Ballad of Wallis Island, comes home on stunning 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD. Own it from 17th November!

And to celebrate we have a copy on Bluray to give away!

Synopsis:

This sweet, funny and uplifting story follows Charles (Tim Key, The Paper, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island. Dreaming of getting his favourite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden, After Life, Here We Go and Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman, Maestro), back together, his fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.

Following premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW and Glasgow Film Festival, and acclaim from fans and critics all over the world, The Ballad of Wallis Island has captured hearts as one of the best films of the year.

Dazzler Media presents The Ballad of Wallis Island on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD from 17th November

Pre-Order from https://amzn.to/3WWVFkd

Enter now for a chance to win.

Who plays Charles in The Ballad of Wallis Island?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here

1. Closing date 01-12-25

2. No alternative prize is available

3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.

4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

COMPETITION: Win Boston Kickout on 4K Limited Edition

It’s time to kick out the jams as seminal ‘90s British classic Boston Kickout celebrates its 30th Anniversary. The film is back in a brand-new stunning 4K edition.

And to celebrate we have a copy on 4K UHD to give away and a copy on DVD to a runner up!

Synopsis:

A new 4K restoration 30-year anniversary edition of the British Classic, originally premiered in October 1995 and released worldwide in 1996 with a soundtrack featuring The Stones Roses, Primal Scream and Oasis. 

In the 80’s Phil’s father moves the family from an inner-city slum to build a bright new life in Stevenage. But it’s now the early 90’s and the dream has crumbled. After leaving school Phil (John Simm) and his friends find themselves in the bewildering world of unemployment, violence and drug abuse. 

Ted (Andrew Lincoln) disappears, Steve (Richard Hanson) tries to come to conform to his parents’ expectations and Matt (Nathan Valente) becomes engaged. Feeling alienated from his friends and dissatisfied with his existence, Phil becomes involved with Steve’s brother Robert (Marc Warren), a dangerously incompetent villain who is ever planning the ‘big job’. Now trapped between two world, the criminal and the banal, it is the arrival of his cousin Shona (Emer McCourt) that acts as the catalyst for Phil to expand his horizons. But on that horizon are momentous decisions.

Pre-Order from https://amzn.to/4o1SO4x

Enter now for a chance to win.

Name the four actors who appear on the Boston Kickout poster?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here

1. Closing date 01-12-25

2. No alternative prize is available

3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.

4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.