The Knick

The Knick is the latest TV series to continue the current trend of melding the worlds of cinema and television. Shows like Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards and True Detective have all featured Hollywood royalty making the transition from the big to the small screen in recent years. Television - in particular cable television in the United States - is increasingly seen as the place to be for creative types – be they actors, writers or directors. And now we have The Knick, which is created by relative unknowns Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, but has lured Steven Soderbergh – who had recently taken a sabbatical from film-making – back behind the camera to direct all ten episodes. It also features Clive Owen in the lead role. That’s a fine wealth of talent, and The Knick is a show that certainly benefits from it.

Oculus

Oculus is a horror movie about a haunted mirror. I know, I know. It sounds like a hackneyed plot - something out of a Stephen King spoof - but it's also one that, if you give the premise a chance, is rife with potential. And it's potential that newcomer Mike Flanagan taps into successfully, crafting a fiendish, creepy and effective horror film.

Oculus stars Karen Gillen and Brenton Thwaites as Kaylie and Tim Russell: siblings whose family has been plagued with tragedies ever since their parents acquired an old mirror known as the Lasser Glass when they were children. Tim and Kaylie become convinced that, somehow, it's the mirror's insidious effect that's responsible for the horrors that befall their family. As a result of these tragedies, Tim is institutionalised, but not before he and Kaylie promise to reunite upon his release and destroy the mirror once and for all...