Coming Up This Week: February 24th-March 2nd

This week is bigger and Burgundier than ever, as we head into 2014's busiest month yet!
Where on Earth has February gone? Thankfully, one of the traditionally calmer periods of the year (in the entertainment industry's case, at least) has turned out to be eventful enough, but rest assured that in March, the industry resumes its gloriously hectic output in full force.

The next seven days are a neat segue-way between these juxtaposed tranquil and packed periods, teasing us with several major releases that will begin to define the month ahead. If February can be regarded as the annual calm before the storm, then boy oh boy, is a storm brewing as we move into March. Here's our comprehensive round-up of all of the titles that you can't afford to miss before this month's imminent climax:

• THOR: THE DARK WORLD DVD & BLU RAY- Another instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Two franchise locks into place this week, as the sequel to 2011's Thor lands in high-street and digital retailers. The Dark World sees Chris Hemsworth reprise his role as the Asgardian Avenger, plus integrates Doctor Who's Christopher Eccleston into its star-studded cast as the universally-feared conqueror Malekeith. The performance that carries the follow-up, however, is undoubtedly Tom Hiddleston, whose Loki has never been more deceptive, dangerous or downright captivating than he is here. (Monday February 24th)
• ARROW: TIME OF DEATH- Black Canary may have joined the ranks of Team Arrow earlier this month in Heir to the Demon, but just what are the implications of her recruitment for Felicity? This is just one dilemma facing Emily Bett Rickards' faithful tech whiz in Season Two's fourteenth episode, not to mention the emergence of the equally computer-savvy villain the Clock King onto the Starling scene. Even if she, Diggle, Oliver and Sara can overcome their latest adversary, though, there's still the small matter of Slade on the horizon, and you can expect his influence on proceedings to come to the forefront this time around...(Wednesday February 26th- The CW)
• DOCTOR WHO: TALES OF TRENZALORE- No, sadly it's not time for Doctor Who's return to BBC One just yet! All the same, we Whovians welcome any opportunity to witness an expansion of its continuity in one form or another, and BBC Books' latest eBook release will do just that in fine measure. Tales of Trenzalore takes place within the 900-year window in which the Eleventh Doctor battled his greatest foes to protect the town of Christmas, revealing the threats posed by classic alien enemies such as the Mara, the Autons and the Krynoid (now there's one to send you straight over to Wikipedia!) during what appeared to be the Time Lord's final life. Sure, it's no substitute for a full-blown season of Capaldi adventures, but until August, Tales is as close as we're going to get! (Thursday February 27th)
• ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES CONTINUED...- Check out this post for full details. In essence, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Continued... is an extended cut of last December's sublime comedy sequel which bumps the original 119-minute running time up to 139-minutes and apparently packs over 700 new jokes. If viewers passed on the chance to find out the identity of "the chicken of the cave", Ron Burgundy's least favourite colour and whether his ex-wife's latest boyfriend can control events with his mind, then the moment has finally come for that error to be rectified. For those who've already witnessed Anchorman 2's greatness, a new incentive to return to auditoriums still awaits in the form of an entirely exclusive dance number- what more could you possibly want? (Friday February 28th)
• THIEF- The video gaming industry is on the road to recovery in March via a host of major, much-anticipated releases and Eidos is leading the charge into this period of reinvigoration with their latest project, Thief. Set in a pseudo-Victorian realm, this series reboot is launching on both current- and next-generation hardware, and while it's unlikely to match the scale of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or the humour of South Park: The Stick of Truth, it may yet boast some of the most refined stealth game-play to grace our consoles in 2014. (Friday February 28th- Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC)
• OSCARS 2014 AWARDS CEREMONY- As if all of those mighty additions to this year's entertainment roster weren't enough, the oncoming week will culminate with what is pretty much the biggest night of the next twelve months for the film industry in particular. 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, Captain Philips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena and The Wolf of Wall Street are all set to vie it out for the Academy's Best Picture award, but as ever, that's just a single component of an evening which is jam-packed with entertainment- if UK fans succeed in keeping themselves occupied until 2am in the morning, that is! (Sunday March 2nd- Sky Movies Première)
• AND THERE'S MORE- Doctor Who: The Web of Fear and One Chance will both accompany Thor: The Dark World to DVD retailers everywhere tomorrow, February 24th too.

Better yet, the landscape only becomes more crowded next week, as An Adventure In Space And Time's Original Television Soundtrack lands on our shores, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD: TAHITI and Arrow: The Promise broadcast for the first time, Star Wars: The Clone Wars comes to Netflix with its long-awaited sixth season The Lost Missions, Ralph Fiennes leads an all-star cast in The Grand Budapest Hotel and, best of all, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's first full video game project reaches fruition with South Park: The Stick of Truth's worldwide début...