Time Out with Jenness Mitchell

Hot songs: I’ve created a Spotify playlist with my choice picks, which you can subscribe to via http://open.spotify.com/user/jenster13/playlist/0gYXunFqF4QGZahdvTtjFU or by searching Jenster13. If you want to share your own top tracks, send me suggestions for a readers’ playlist.

King Tut’s Summer Nights 2014: Thursday 24th: Madison + Dilectrics + We Were Kings + Tumfy and the Deecers Friday 25th: Gerry Cinnamon + Jamie Coleman + Paul John MacIver + Aaron Fyfe Saturday 26th: Manky Savage + The Bawlers + Casino Circus + Irrational Fever Sunday 27th: The Travels + The Near + Tribal High + The Trend For more info, check out www.facebook.com/kingtutswahwahhut or www.kingtuts.co.uk.

Upcoming festivals: For those still bouncing from Balado, The Wickerman Festival takes place this weekend.

Continue the party with a host of top class acts including headliners Dizzee Rascal and Del Amitri, as well as former Britpop favourites Shed Seven, Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble, Alex Metric, The Feeling, Alabama 3, The Zombies, Big Country and T Break youngsters Model Aeroplanes.

I’m a Wickerman virgin, so let’s hope I’m not sacrificed during the festival’s finale - when its famous 40ft statue is spectacularly set alight in ode to the 1973 film. The Wicker Man, starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, was actually shot around the surrounding area and not on the fictional island of Summerisle - hence the festival’s apt name.

The Wickerman Festival will take place 25-26 July, East Kirkcarswell near Dundrennan. www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk.

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival will take place 8-9 August, Belladrum, Beauly. Headliners are Tom Jones and Razorlight. www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk.

Doune The Rabbit Hole will take place 22-24 August at Cardross Estate, Port of Menteith. Headliners are Peatbog Faeries, Errors and The Wave Pictures. www.dounetherabbithole.co.uk.

The Purge: Anarchy The premise of The Purge is a belter.

In 2022 crime and unemployment rates in the United States reach unprecedented lows because of a 12-hour annual blood-bath in which all crime - including murder, theft, and rape - is completely legal. During this time police and emergency services are suspended, and anyone is fair game aside from high-ranking government officials. Though presented as a catharsis for the release of negative emotions and repressed urges, The Purge really serves as a form of population control as the poor and the homeless are common victims during this period.

The first movie - starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey - revolves around a family who find themselves under attack from a group of young purgers who demand the release of a 'bloody stranger’ that has taken refuge in their high-security house.

It was a smash-hit - making $89m at the Box Office from a $3m budget. Unsurprisingly a sequel was commissioned.

The Purge: Anarchy takes place the following year on the streets of Los Angeles. During the 12-hours of mayhem, we’re introduced to a couple who run out of gas and have to flee from masked attackers on motorcycles and minibikes, a father out for revenge on the man who killed his son, and a mother and daughter who have to run into the night after an unknown group of well-equipped assailants break into their tenement.

Bigger and bolder, Anarchy gives us as the audience what we want - moving away from a simple home invasion movie to an expansive world with more 'purging’ and multiple stories.

With the Saw franchise seemingly dead in the water, The Purge has the potential to take over the horror genre if a little more gore is thrown in for good measure.

As with movies like The Running Man and Escape From New York, The Purge’s version of the future isn’t too hard to believe. I just hope I’m not around to see it. A zombie apocalypse however...

Top TV shows: I love a bit of television. I follow a couple of programmes - from Hannibal and The Following to 24, GoT and The Good Wife. There’s also Ray Donovan, SVU, The Walking Dead, OITNB, Hemlock Grove, American Horror Story, Modern Family, The Middle, Mad Men, The Newsroom (obviously) and Parks & Recs to name but a few. Clearly I ought to get out more. That being said, I’m going to make room for several new shows that have caught my eye and are scheduled to drop in the fall (or autumn as we Brits like to call it).

Gotham; Holy Batman! I genuinely cannot wait for this. Starring The O.C.’s Ben McKenzie, Gotham revolves around rookie detective James Gordon years before he becomes the fictional city’s police commissioner. Tasked with finding the killer of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Gordon forms an unlikely friendship with their son Bruce. Along the way he’ll meet many future villains, from Catwoman and Poison Ivy to the Penguin and Riddler. This is probably the most anticipated TV show of the year. I don’t see it being cancelled mid-season, short of nuclear attack.

Madam Secretary; A political drama starring Tea Leoni (Bad Boys, Jurassic Park III) as Secretary of State Elizabeth Faulkner McCord. I reckon it will follow the same winning formula as The Good Wife; revolving around Elizabeth as she tries to balance her private (family) and professional (work) life. State of Affairs starring Katherine Heigl may also be worth a watch, but Madam Secretary looks as if it’ll have more steam.

CSI: Cyber; Patricia Arquette will explore internet offences as FBI special agent Avery Ryan in this Crime Scene Investigation spin-off. The CSI franchise is hugely popular and the premise of this series is good, so I can’t see it not taking off. I’ve been missing little Patty Arquette since Medium went off the air. As she rarely picks a bad project, I’m hoping that’s an indicator of dark and interesting storylines.

How to Get Away with Murder; From executive producer Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal), How to Get Away with Murder is a suspense-driven legal thriller revolving around a group of ambitious law students who become entangled in a murder plot. Oscar-nominated and Tony Award-winning actress Viola Davis (The Help) stars as their mysterious criminal defence professor. While I’m not looking for 11 drawn-out seasons of the show - like Grey’s Anatomy - I do want a story with multiple twists and red herrings. This could be a hit with prime-time audiences searching for something less violent than Hannibal and The Following.

Summer reads: How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran; It’s 1990. Johanna Morrigan (14) has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides there’s no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde - a fast-talking, hard-drinking gothic hero and full-time lady sex adventurer. She will save her poverty stricken bohemian family by becoming a writer - like Jo in Little Women, or the Brontes - but without the dying young bit. By 16, she’s smoking cigarettes, getting drunk and working for a music paper. She’s writing pornographic letters to rock-stars, having all kinds of sex with all kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less. But what happens when Johanna realises she’s built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters and a head full of paperbacks enough to build a girl after all? Imagine The Bell Jar written by Rizzo from Grease, with a soundtrack by My Bloody Valentine and Happy Mondays. As beautiful as it is funny, How To Build a Girl is a brilliant coming-of-age novel in DMs and ripped tights.

Thor: Marvel’s God of Thunder is about to be given a mighty makeover and will be reboot as a woman. The debut of this female superhero will see a brand new Thor comic series launched later in the year. At the moment no-one is pegged to take over from Chris Hemsworth and his bulging biceps in Marvel’s movie universe, however a few actresses have been named as favourites to helm the magic hammer Mjolnir on the big screen.

Gwendoline Christie; Christie, who currently plays Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, is an obvious choice because she physically looks the part. With roles in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 and Star Wars: Episode VII, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of the 6ft3’ star. Personally, I wouldn’t go for Christie. Although she’s got a powerful presence, I don’t picture her as a leading lady.

Katee Sackhoff; Avengers director Joss Whedon tweeted a pic of the Battlestar Galactica alum as his casting suggestion. This could have been an ode to the fact Sackhoff’s BSG character (Starbuck) was initially played by a man in the original. Personally, I like this recommendation. Sackhoff’s got the talent and attitude to pull it off, and with Whedon behind her she’s got a good shot. However at 34-years-old the studio may be looking for someone younger with the potential for more mileage than one film.

Jennifer Lawrence; I have to give the Oscar-winning darling a mention because she’s on the shortlist for everything. I love Lawrence, but she’s already stepped out as Marvel’s Mystique/Raven Darkholme in the last two X-Men movies. However, Chris Evans first appeared as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films before he was elevated to play Steve Rogers/Captain America. Never say never.

Emily Blunt; Edge of Tomorrow gave the English rose a chance to show off her pumped-up guns and action abilities. She’s held her own against many leading actors - as seen with Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) and Matt Damon (The Adjustment Bureau) - and does have a few awards under her belt including a Golden Globe for Gideon’s Daughter.

Bannjaxx Comics’ top five released this week: Saga #21 (Image) Batman 66 #13 (DC) Batman #33 (DC) Amazing Spider-Man #4 (Marvel) Futures End #12 (DC) Bannjaxx’s Dave Rice said, “In Saga, award-winning writer Brian K.Vaughan has built an incredibly rich and varied universe beautifully illustrated by Fiona Staples. With DC’s Batman 66, if you’re old enough to remember the Adam West TV series in the 60’s or consequent re-runs this tongue-in-cheek homage brings to life the kitschy charm of the original with a knowing nod to modern sensibilities. Also from DC in the regular Batman title the epic Zero Year storyline concludes and the shock ending launches into a new story-arc making it an ideal jumping on point for new Batman readers.” Bannjaxx Comics, 13 Stirling Arcade, Stirling, FK8 1AX. For more info, go to www.bannjaxxcomics.org.uk.