Entertainment

New to Stream: Boss Level and A League of Their Own

Boss Level: Mel Gibson as Colonel Clive Ventor, Frank Grillo as Roy Pulver, Naomi Watts as Jemma Wells and Selina Lo as Guan Yin
Boss Level: Mel Gibson as Colonel Clive Ventor, Frank Grillo as Roy Pulver, Naomi Watts as Jemma Wells and Selina Lo as Guan Yin Boss Level: Mel Gibson as Colonel Clive Ventor, Frank Grillo as Roy Pulver, Naomi Watts as Jemma Wells and Selina Lo as Guan Yin

Boss Level: Mel Gibson as Colonel Clive Ventor, Frank Grillo as Roy Pulver, Naomi Watts as Jemma Wells and Selina Lo as Guan Yin
Boss Level: Mel Gibson as Colonel Clive Ventor, Frank Grillo as Roy Pulver, Naomi Watts as Jemma Wells and Selina Lo as Guan Yin Boss Level: Mel Gibson as Colonel Clive Ventor, Frank Grillo as Roy Pulver, Naomi Watts as Jemma Wells and Selina Lo as Guan Yin

BOSS LEVEL (Cert 15, 100 mins, Altitude Film Distribution, Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller, available now on Prime Video, available from August 15 on BT TV Store/iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services, also available from August 15 on DVD £12.99)


Starring: Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Will Sasso, Annabelle Wallis, Naomi Watts, Michelle Yeoh.

THE Groundhog Day/time loop formula has been recycled endlessly since the Bill Murray comedy was released in 1993.

Offerings such as Edge Of Tomorrow and the Happy Death Day movies exploit the reset storyline to fine effect and this fast-moving caper starring Frank Grillo should also appeal to genre fans.

The troubled protagonist is former Special Forces operative Roy Pulver (Grillo).

Every day, he wakes up in his apartment with a beautiful woman in his bed and assassins trying to kill him.

The routine is so refined that Roy has time for a coffee in between dodging bullets and blade attacks but naturally he must try to unlock the mystery behind his untimely demise.

The cast includes Mel Gibson (whose vocal stylings are unmissable) and Naomi Watts as Pulver's old flame, who may or may not be integral to the drama.

Co-writer, producer and director Joe Carnahan, who also helmed The A-Team movie and The Grey, pokes fun at the genre (and former collaborator Liam Neeson), while a ripped Grillo does a fine job as the long-suffering hero.

Excessive comic-book style violence and swearing proliferate but it's often laugh-out-loud funny and rarely dull.

Rating: 3/5

A League Of Their Own: Abbi Jacobson as Carson and D'Arcy Carden as Greta
A League Of Their Own: Abbi Jacobson as Carson and D'Arcy Carden as Greta A League Of Their Own: Abbi Jacobson as Carson and D'Arcy Carden as Greta

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (8 episodes, streaming from August 12 exclusively on Prime Video, Comedy/Drama/Romance)

Marking its 30th anniversary this year, director Penny Marshall's feelgood comedy drama A League Of Their Own mined heartfelt humour from the real-life struggles of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) initiated in 1943.

Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham are the creative minds behind a TV adaptation, which celebrates a generation of determined women, who realised their sporting dreams in the shadow of the Second World War.

Carson Shaw (Abbi Jacobson) jumps on a moving train to attend try outs for the AAGPBL alongside fellow hopefuls Greta Gill (D'Arcy Carden), Jo DeLuca (Melanie Field) and Lupe Garcia (Roberta Colindrez).

Star pitcher Maxine 'Max' Chapman (Chante Adams) is denied her chance because of the colour of her skin in an era of segregation and prejudice but she refuses to give up on her dream, even if that means competing for a place on a men's team.

As the popularity of the AAGPBL soars, Carson and co overcome sexism and their own insecurities to play ball with confidence.