When you wish upon a Star

Today is the last day you can avail yourself of an annual subscription to Disney+ for £59.99 before the Star brand launches, in non-US markets, on Tuesday.

Star launches on Disney+ on 23rd February with hundreds of films and television series from Twentieth Century Fox and Star Originals in Europe, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Lost, 24, Desperate Housewives, Family Guy, The X-Files, Die Hard and many more will be available to stream.

As Star isn't optional, an annual subscription increases by 33% to £79.99 but existing subscribers can renew for £59.99.

Given the amount of content, coupled with an ongoing global pandemic and The Walt Disney Company pivoting with new movies (such as Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon) simultaneously released in cinemas and at home, I'll be renewing like many of the 95 million subscribers to Disney+.

Are you looking forward to the arrival of Star on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Star launches with The X-Files on Disney+

Star launches on Disney+ on 23rd February - a month after my birthday (hint, hint). The Walt Disney Company has announced the first films and television series coming to the new adult brand.

Lost, 24, Desperate Housewives, Family Guy, The X-Files, Die Hard and much more will be available to stream on Disney+ from next month. Hopefully, the Alien and Predator franchises won't be too far behind once pre-existing distribution deals have lapsed. Incidentally, Marvel is now publishing all things xenomorph and cloaked alien hunter following the acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox film and television assets.

Star Originals is expected to include Hulu's live-action Aliens series outside the US. Channel 4 is currently showing The Handmaid's Tale but that will most likely be added to Star, too.

All this extra content comes at an inevitable cost.

As Star isn't optional, Disney+ will rise from £5.99 to £7.99 a month. However, I'm using the streaming service daily and have no plans to cancel as lockdowns continue over the coming months.

NOW TV will most likely be a new year cancellation casualty as I'm watching 4K UHD content on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime and Netflix (a subscription was gifted at Christmas).

Are you looking forward to Star showing mature content on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

The Walking Dead renewed for sixth season

The Walking Dead has been renewed for a sixth season ahead of the fifth season premiere this Sunday on Fox. The episode will be shown the following day in the UK. There's no news on whether or not there'll be a simulcast as with 24: Live Another Day and Game of Thrones, which is a missed opportunity.

“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of ‘The Walking Dead’ with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier. “In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”

A spin-off to The Walking Dead is currently in production and will be set in another part of the world. The pilot is penned by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson.

The Walking Dead S1-4 box sets are available to binge-view on NOW TV as part of the Entertainment Month Pass for just £4.99 a month until 16th October, £6.99 a month thereafter. No contract.

24: Live Another Day simulcast on NOW TV

Jack Bauer's back, and he's just as great as ever.

4 years ago acclaimed television series 24 ended, after 8 seasons, with a whimper. Tonight Jack Bauer returns in a brand new London-based 12-part series on Fox.

Following the success of Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic. UK broadcaster Sky will simulcast the US premiere of 24: Live Another Day on Sky1 at 1:00AM Tuesday morning. Then the new series will be shown at its regular time of 9:00PM Wednesday.

Jack Bauer fans without Sky can watch the new series and much more on NOW TV.

E.B.E. in the Everglades

As part of Channel 4's content deal with Disney (including Desperate Housewives and Lost). They've acquired first-run rights to ABC's Invasion (produced by Warner Bros). This new series quietly premiered a week ago and already has me hooked!

Unlike Lost. Invasion is a slow burner filled with knowing winks to The Invaders (1967), Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1956), 24, The Thing (1951), The Day of the Triffids (1962) and other staples of American/English Gothic. The inspired premise surrounds Hurrican Eve that masks the arrival of an alien armada. Is Florida's subsurbia being taken over by clones and what lies beneath the surface (both in the literal and metaphorical sense)?

Invasion boasts a photogenic and likeable ensemble (Lisa Sheridan is worthy of note) and the score is outstanding for episodic television. My sky+ series links are skewed towards US imports!

Saga of a Star World

Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II was shown last night on sky one. Battlestar Galactica's S1 finale is of Buffy/24/Alias calibre. The audacious twists and turns, culminating in Adama's 'assassination' by a Boomer Cylon replica, were irresistible. The exploration of Cylon religion (ideology) provided the production with an opportunity to reprise the cinema of Stanley Kubrick and intellectual concepts penned by Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick. Whilst the biomechanical Basestar interior evoked the designs of fabled surrealist H.R. Giger.

Turning back to the original Battlestar Galactica TV series. In Europe three feature-length episodes were released theatrically (in alternate form):

*Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Abridged version of Saga of a Star World. Includes Baltar's execution, which was deemed too violent for TV audiences.

*Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1978)
The Living Legend Part I & Part II and Fire in Space.

*Galactica III: Conquest of the Earth (1980)
Galactica Discovers Earth, The Night the Cylons Landed Part I & Part II, The Young Lords and stock footage taken from the movie Earthquake (1974).

We didn't own cable (Rediffusion television was one of the earliest providers). So, I only viewed the first theatrically and the 'sequels' on video rental (Sony Betamax). Baltar's execution (in the theatrical version) is confusing and his return is never explained. It would be nearly a decade before I had an opportunity to see the entire Battlestar Galactica series including the risible Galactica 80.

I've ordered the 2003 mini-series (R1 DVD) from Play. Compare and contrast R1, R2 and R4 releases here.

On an unrelated note. Some iDisk users are experiencing service problems following scheduled maintenance (at the weekend). I'm very happy to report that none of the purported issues have afflicted my account. Again, this only serves to underscore the importance of archiving data on a regular basis.

Suspension of disbelief

Based on the theory of diminishing returns, season three of 24 should be the weakest yet! However, the producers have embraced action cinema as purveyed by James Cameron and John McTiernan! The events unfolding, whilst wildly farfetched, are so compelling that I’m willing to ride this raucous roller coaster.

At the height of its popularity Fox afforded The X-Files a cinematic incarnation. 24 deserves that luxury too.