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A Fix With Sontarans

I haven't had a lot of time to do reviews as of late because as fun as it is, university has to take top priority. But fear not, because I have finally found some time to do another Doctor Who review - of the Jim'll Fix It minisode A Fix With Sontarans.

A Fix With Sontarans is an odd watch now due to the Jimmy Saville scandal. When it was initially broadcast in 1985, it would have been to an audience unaware of the vile behaviour the presenter was getting up to backstage. Yet weirdly, as though the writer Eric Saward had somehow boarded the Doctor's TARDIS and been shown the future where the sex scandal had come out, Tegan (Janet Fielding) actually refers to Jimmy Saville as 'monstrous'. Never could anything be more accurate than that.

With Tegan being present in the minisode, you would think the Doctor involved would be Peter Davison. Well no, it isn't. It's Colin Baker. This is explained by a contrived reason of a 'matter transporter', which feels more 'Star Trek' than 'Doctor Who'. The Doctor explains that there are a couple of Sontarans onboard and asks Tegan to help him. She agrees, but accidentally teleports a human kid called Gareth Jenkins onboard, who turns out to be a future military leader who defeats the Sontarans in 2001. Again, all very contrived (including the reason for Jimmy Saville's presence, which expectedly feels forced into the plot). Overall, it's a fun minisode though especially watching with the knowledge that Jimmy Saville is actually 'repulsive' (as the Doctor remarks).

Gareth Jenkins is a brilliant young actor too. He more than holds his own alongside Colin Baker and Janet Fielding. It doesn't feel like he's only there because he wrote in to Jim'll Fix It but he of course was. Colin Baker and Janet Fielding have great chemistry too, despite the pair not being a Doctor/companion combination before. It would have made more sense to use Nicola Bryant as Peri, although there is a theory going around that Janet Fielding was used because she knew Jimmy Saville was a dodgy character through her husband (who was a journalist and friends with Princess Diana) and could therefore protect Gareth against any strange behaviour.

Overall, A Fix With Sontarans is a harmless enough story but parts of it feel very contrived. Gareth Jenkins is brilliant though and it was right about Jimmy Saville being monstrous and repulsive. It's just odd that Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka was chosen as the companion and not Nicola Bryant as Peri.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

I haven't had a lot of time to do reviews as of late because as fun as it is, university has to take top priority.

Yeah, don't let it get in the way of your studies, because it can be a distraction:).

Yet weirdly, as though the writer Eric Saward had somehow boarded the Doctor's TARDIS and been shown the future where the sex scandal had come out, Tegan (Janet Fielding) actually refers to Jimmy Saville as 'monstrous'. Never could anything be more accurate than that.

God, she does doesn't she?

She agrees, but accidentally teleports a human kid called Gareth Jenkins onboard, who turns out to be a future military leader who defeats the Sontarans in 2001.

I always thought it was a weird coincidence about Gareth in the TV Movie actually, as his future importance is along similar lines.

It would have made more sense to use Nicola Bryant as Peri, although there is a theory going around that Janet Fielding was used because she knew Jimmy Saville was a dodgy character through her husband (who was a journalist and friends with Princess Diana) and could therefore protect Gareth against any strange behaviour.

Interesting theory. I haven't heard it before.

I believe when the news broke, the BBC removed this extra from their Two Doctors DVDs. There's also the reference in The War Machines to the Doctor looking "like that DJ", but I don't know whether they've gone to the lengths of cutting that too.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

God, she does doesn't she?
Yep, she does:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1TAlZ0e0Hc

I always thought it was a weird coincidence about Gareth in the TV Movie actually, as his future importance is along similar lines.
Yeah, doesn't he run a charity for soldiers now?

I believe when the news broke, the BBC removed this extra from their Two Doctors DVDs. There's also the reference in The War Machines to the Doctor looking "like that DJ", but I don't know whether they've gone to the lengths of cutting that too.
Yeah, The Two Doctors went out of print for a while and became increasingly hard to get hold of. They printed new copies of the DVD in 2014 without the extra (which I always thought was a bit pointless because whilst it's awful what Jimmy Saville did, I don't believe it's right to get rid of everything as though it never happened. It should be accepted that mistakes were made).

[SeeingisBelieving]

Yeah, doesn't he run a charity for soldiers now?

I think so.

Yeah, The Two Doctors went out of print for a while and became increasingly hard to get hold of. They printed new copies of the DVD in 2014 without the extra (which I always thought was a bit pointless because whilst it's awful what Jimmy Saville did, I don't believe it's right to get rid of everything as though it never happened. It should be accepted that mistakes were made).

In the main I agree but I suppose in this case it's beneficial to protect younger viewers from having to be told about Savile.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

In the main I agree but I suppose in this case it's beneficial to protect younger viewers from having to be told about Savile.

They'll find out anyway. The Jimmy Saville scandal is everywhere.

[SeeingisBelieving]

They'll find out anyway. The Jimmy Saville scandal is everywhere.

They will but better to find out about it when they're older. It's one thing to say "don't talk to strangers" for example but its almost a euphemism so you don't have to go into detail. I was reading Ray Winstone's autobiography recently and he described the effect of the Moors Murders, where after the news broke the streets were deserted. So overnight it went from a leaving your doors unlocked ease to guarded unease – chilling.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Britain's Got Talent: Episode Four

We're already on to the fourth episode of Britain's Got Talent and buy this point it feels like we've seen all the best acts. Last night's episode felt like a celebration of the bad acts and there was only one real standout during the entire show. Still, at least David Walliams' mum livened it up.

Yes, David Walliams brought his mum onto the show. Simon Cowell was late, she stepped in and she was brilliant. Almost like Simon Cowell had dressed up in drag, she was unbelievably cruel and her take-no-prisoners approach to the buzzer was hilarious. There was only one act she enjoyed throughout the entire show! I hope this is a springboard for a future career in TV for David Walliams' mum as I would love to see her judge a talent show again. In fact, she's exactly the kind of fun The X Factor needs, even if she likely doesn't have any expertise in music. I could have watched an entire BGT episode with David Walliams' mum instead of Simon Cowell.

It's just a shame the talent wasn't up to the usual standard. Blue Bag Lady? Rubbish. Carl & Tim? Rubbish. Joony? Rubbish. Even the reasonable Vox Fortis or the brilliant gymnasts Spartan Resurrection don't really stand a chance of winning compared to the quality of the acts in previous episodes. It's also pretty obvious cheesy performer Richard Bayton will make it to the semi finals as a joke act: he's a bit cringeworthy with his camp dancing along to his terrible singing. In hindsight I wish crossbow act Ben Blaque (who featured later on in the programme) had come on earlier and shot an arrow through Richard's tacky Union Jack vest.

The only standout act in last night's show who could potentially win was Ant & Dec's Golden Buzzer 14 year old Jasmine Elcock. She was outstanding with her performance of Believe by Cher; so great that she could easily rival Beau Dermott for winner of Britain's Got Talent. It is getting a little repetitive of every Golden Buzzer being a singing act so far though. I would like to see a bit of variety with the Golden Buzzer because it is starting to make BGT seem like The X Factor. There have been plenty of variety acts that deserved it; why not Another Kind of Blue, for example? I hope Simon Cowell opts for a different kind of act (although somehow I doubt it considering his music expertise).

One thing that was strange about last night's episode was how all four judges buzzed John Romero. He played the accordion and he was brilliant. It just felt like total disrespect for such a talented act; we were clearly supposed to think it was rubbish but the problem was it wasn't. There is no way John Romero should have been treated like a joke act; I certainly can't play the accordion (although I haven't even tried, I imagine it's probably quite hard) and I'd like to see the other judges try. A real talent like this should have been given four yeses through to boot camp.

Overall, last night's BGT was definitely the weakest episode of the series so far. The talent wasn't quite as high (one talented act was even considered little more than a joke) and there weren't as many stand-out acts but Jasime Elcock was great and it was great fun to see David Walliams' mum as a judge.

3

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Michael McIntyre's Big Show: Episode Three

You can always tell the difference when you have a weaker comedian onstage and the main one is elsewhere. That's what happened with Michael McIntyre's Big Show on Saturday when Michael McIntyre invited Romesh Ranganathan onstage and you were soon wishing for Michael McIntyre return.

Romesh is nowhere near the comedy genius Michael McIntyre is. A lot of his jokes are poor and obvious; his delivery is nothing to shout about either. His comedy timing isn't even comparable to Michael McIntyre's. I have no idea why Michael McIntyre seemed so enthusiastic about him when introducing him as a guest; he is also the weakest link of It's Not Rocket Science, where he appears as a co-presenter alongside Ben Miller and Rachel Riley.

Thank God, then, that Michael McIntyre was on more than usual last night. His material on Saturday's show was hilarious, ranging from topics such as restricted viewing to the mention 'high pressure' on the weather forecast. This was without a doubt among his strongest material and it is a wonder he didn't keep it back for a future tour. Hopefully Michael McIntyre will be on tour again by 2018 as he is definitely better live than pre-recorded though.

The Unexpected Star was brilliant again too. Electrician Adam had dreams of wanting to be a singer and was invited to perform on the show at the end. Just like Natasha in the first episode, he had an amazing voice. Where do they find these people? I am assuming the researchers must do quite a bit of research beforehand to see how good they are at what they want to do as there is no way they could be this lucky twice.

Michael McIntyre's Big Show still had flaws. I miss the game he played with the audience in the first episode concerning kids finding stuff in the mother's house and I still find myself wanting Michael McIntyre to return whenever he leaves the stage for someone else to perform but it's still an extremely fun piece of television to watch. Plus: the Send To All game is genius.

4

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Night of the Doctor

In 2013, Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary and Steven Moffat decided to do something us Whovians had been waiting a long time for: the 8th Doctor's regeneration. Only it was a little different from what we expected, as instead of Christopher Eccleston being the next Doctor, it was John Hurt.

Night of the Doctor was an eight minute minisode released on BBC Red Button and iPlayer and told the story of the Doctor (Paul McGann) trying to rescue spaceship pilot Cass (Emma Campbell Jones) from her crashing spaceship. He fails and the spaceship plummets to Karn with Cass dead and only the Sisterhood there to save the Doctor. It's a relatively simple story but it doesn't need to be complex for this. This was a milestone for the show after all, given it was one of the biggest unseen moments of the show. It's incredibly in-character for this Doctor to sacrifice himself to save a woman he'd never even met; this is exactly how you would imagine Paul McGann's Doctor would go. Not for some big universe-destroying event or a massive climatic battle, not for some enormous story centred around the mythology of the series...but in a failed attempt to save a woman in a crashing spaceship. This ultimately feels more like a classic series regeneration, which were less climaxes of big story arcs but rather more self-contained.

It's also brilliant the reason why Cass won't let herself be saved. You see, because of the Time War she sees both Time Lords and the Daleks to be pretty much the same. This is hugely convincing and shows the horrors of the Time War through one simple exchange as the Doctor tries to persuade her he's not like the others.

Cass: Is this a TARDIS?
The Doctor: Yes, but you'll be perfectly safe, I promise you.
Cass: Don't touch me!
The Doctor: I'm not part of the war. I swear to you, I never was.
Cass: You're a Time Lord.
The Doctor: Yes, I'm a Time Lord, but I'm one of the nice ones.

The fact that Cass won't even let the Doctor touch her shows just how devastating the Time War has become. It's powerful stuff and wonderful writing from Steven Moffat. One of my lecturers at university said about dialogue the other day that you write dialogue you can 'see' and this is certainly the case here.

The scene with the Sisterhood of Karn is great too, as it also highlights the horrors of the Time War. It's heart-breaking to see this man who has dedicated his life to travelling around the universe helping different civilisations and fighting the monsters decide he has no choice but to basically become a monster (or, as Sisterhood call it, a warrior) himself. It also gives a nice fan theory for why the Doctor's regeneration is always shown through golden energy now: the effect of the potion from Ohila and the Sisterhood of Karn.

Paul McGann is absolutely at his best here. He gives a stunning performance as a desperate man taking desperate measures he really doesn't want to take. Paul McGann is even given one of the best final lines of any Doctor in 'Physician, heal thyself' and it's great to see the Big Finish companions made canonical when he lists them before drinking the potion. Emma Campbell-Jones and the Sisterhood of jar are great too but completely outshone by Paul McGann. It is a shame he didn't appear in Day of the Doctor also.

Overall, Night of the Doctor is the perfect regeneration story for Paul McGann that nicely explores the impact the Time War has had on something even as simple as touching someone. This may be only a minisode but in those eight minutes it establishes itself as bonafide classic.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

In 2013, Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary and Steven Moffat decided to do something us Whovians had been waiting a long time for: the 8th Doctor's regeneration. Only it was a little different from what we expected, as instead of Christopher Eccleston being the next Doctor, it was John Hurt.

Yippee:up::yup:!

It's incredibly in-character for this Doctor to sacrifice himself to save a woman he'd never even met; this is exactly how you would imagine Paul McGann's Doctor would go.

Definitely.

It also gives a nice fan theory for why the Doctor's regeneration is always shown through golden energy now: the effect of the potion from Ohila and the Sisterhood of Karn.

Oh yeah, that's interesting.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Let's Kill Hitler
With Donald Trump being the only republican candidate in America for their presidency I thought it would be fun to look at an episode with a similarly unlikeable person: Let's Kill Hitler. Those three words are not necessarily what you would expect a Doctor Who episode to be called so it is a surprise they decided to call it that, although I suspect it was more to grab the attention of the media rather than a title picked because it suited the episode.

The title is very misleading and many quite rightly felt disappointed by it. Personally, I didn't; whilst I liked the idea of an episode set in the past with an evil dictator as the 'historical celebrity' it was never a necessity for me that this episode featured Hitler (Albert Welling) much. It is more focused on the origins of River Song (Alex Kingston) and the Teslecta's (various) attempt to take her down due to their knowledge of her killing the Doctor (Matt Smith). This in my view is a much more interesting story to tell than Mel (Nina Toussaint-White, later River) trying to kill Hitler even if at this point River Song is becoming more of an annoying character than one that's enjoyable to watch. She's a lot more bearable here than in other series six stories though and the episode overall is a lot of fun to watch. This is definitely on the lighter spectrum of Doctor Who episodes, especially when you have a scene where Rory (Arthur Darvill) shoves Hitler in a cupboard.

The best thing about this story is by far the set design. It looks perfect and probably one of the best recreations the show has had to a particular past period so far. You get a strong sense of world-building and character from the look of Hitler's office alone. You can tell the designers spent a lot of time designing the set of this one. Even the outdoor scenes look like the cast and crew have time travelled back to World War 2.

Albert Welling is very convincing as Hitler and it would have been great to have seen a lot more of him. Again, I thought the story focused on a more interesting point but it would have been fun to have seen the Doctor forced to team up with Hitler (or something along those lines). Alex Kingston is perfect as a newly-regenerated River too, although Nina Toussaint-White felt a bit flat at Mels. The main cast are great as always but Arthur Darvill in particular really shines here. He has brilliant comedic timing in this episode, especially near the beginning with Hitler. 'Shut up, Hitler' has to be my favourite line from the episode.

Overall, Let's Kill Hitler is a great episode that unfortunately suffers from a misleading title and an underused Albert Welling.

4

[SeeingisBelieving]

Those three words are not necessarily what you would expect a Doctor Who episode to be called so it is a surprise they decided to call it that, although I suspect it was more to grab the attention of the media rather than a title picked because it suited the episode.

Yes, an indication of Steven Moffat's subsequent plan to "slut it up", a phrase which was even more unexpected given the programme's family audience — things have changed.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Those three words are not necessarily what you would expect a Doctor Who episode to be called so it is a surprise they decided to call it that, although I suspect it was more to grab the attention of the media rather than a title picked because it suited the episode.

Yes, an indication of Steven Moffat's subsequent plan to "slut it up", a phrase which was even more unexpected given the programme's family audience — things have changed.
I think the show has certainly got darker, although I suspect the Philip Hinchcliffe era would have been similar with the special effects resources available now compared to 30 years ago.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I think the show has certainly got darker, although I suspect the Philip Hinchcliffe era would have been similar with the special effects resources available now compared to 30 years ago.

The Hinchcliffe era managed to be scary enough without special effects resources:p;)!

What I meant was that Steven Moffat's manner of communication with the audience hasn't appealed to me at all, often being coarse and inappropriate. From what I can remember of Chris Chibnall, I expect a better standard when he takes over (says me, who probably still won't be watching even then:)).

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Hinchcliffe era managed to be scary enough without special effects resources:p;)!

What I meant was that Steven Moffat's manner of communication with the audience hasn't appealed to me at all, often being coarse and inappropriate. From what I can remember of Chris Chibnall, I expect a better standard when he takes over (says me, who probably still won't be watching even then:)).

One potential problem with Chris Chibnall is if he plays it a bit safe. He seems like a 'safe' writer to me but Doctor Who should be taking risks.

[SeeingisBelieving]

One potential problem with Chris Chibnall is if he plays it a bit safe. He seems like a 'safe' writer to me but Doctor Who should be taking risks.

Yeah it should, but being as casual as Moffat has in what he says in Doctor Who literature and interviews is one risk too many for me.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

42

This is a spoiler review.

Whilst we're on the subject of Chris Chibnall, let's take a look at his first episode for Doctor Who: 42. 42 was written in response to the popular TV series 24, in which the action takes place in real time over 24 hours divided into 24 one hour episodes. Chris Chibnall took this concept and applied it to an episode of Doctor Who, having the entire episode taking place over 42 minutes in real time.

To me, this really benefits the episode. It makes it feel 'real', as though we're watching events take place as they actually unfold. It's a clever concept and one that I applaud Chris Chibnall taking from 24. Kudos to him also for making a Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy reference by having it 42 minutes as opposed to 45 (although this episode isn't quite the answer to life, the universe and everything). The story follows the Doctor and Martha arriving on the spaceship S.S. Pentallian after receiving a distress call and find that it is out of control hurtling towards the sun. The sun starts possessing the crew angry at them for illegally using it as fuel and the Doctor and Martha have 42 minutes to save them and the ship. This is a fun and lively action-orientated episode of the show but it also has a few very creepy moments such as when the Doctor also finds himself possessed. It features one of the greatest moments you can have in Doctor Who that has been done a few times in the new series, where the Doctor himself is no longer in control and is scared of the situation. If the Doctor is scared, you know they are in deep trouble and Chris Chibnall plays this brilliantly.

It's not all good; it isn't the best episode by a long mile. It can feel a little generic and the scene at the end with Francine's call being monitored by a group of people working for Mr Saxon feels a little shoehorned in. It doesn't get the recognition it deserves though as a great episode of series 3. It is definitely among the strongest Chris Chibnall has written for the show.

One of the greatest soap actors Michelle Collins features too. Michelle Collins is known for playing Cindy in EastEnders (a show that I personally hate) and Stella in Coronation Street. Here, she plays Kath McDonnell and provides one of the best supporting character performances of the show. She is very believable and whilst not good enough to be recurring character status, provides a very strong portrayal of a character who is desperate in the circumstances of the ship's crashing. David Tennant and Freema Ageyman are on top form, especially David Tennant who is unbelievably scary when he is possessed by the sun. I think this is one of David Tennant's finest performances as the Doctor; it's just chilling when he utters 'Burn With Me, Martha'. Those four words have a powerful effect on the audience in not only showing the lead character possessed but also in David Tennant's performance that there is still a bit of the Doctor there who's scared and doesn't quite know what to do. This is why David Tennnant is the best Doctor; he gave such a layered performance in the role.

Overall, 42 is a great episode told in real time with strong action scenes and some scary moments. Some may find it generic and the end scene is a bit forced to suit the Mr Saxon arc of series 3 but Michelle Collins is great as Kath McDonnell and David Tennant is terrifying as the possessed Doctor.

4

[SeeingisBelieving]

I can't remember it clearly enough to offer much – it definitely had something and as you say the possession of the Doctor was very good, similar to Midnight. What I do recall is the awkward timing of the episode coming out after Danny Boyle's Sunshine. I haven't seen the film so I've no idea how the productions differ or match.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I can't remember it clearly enough to offer much – it definitely had something and as you say the possession of the Doctor was very good, similar to Midnight. What I do recall is the awkward timing of the episode coming out after Danny Boyle's Sunshine. I haven't seen the film so I've no idea how the productions differ or match.

That's true. It couldn't be helped though and isn't a problem that Doctor Who hasn't faced before.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Britain's Got Talent - Episode 5

When there's something strange in your neighborhood...who ya gonna call?

The Britain's Got Talent judging panel it seems, for last night's show was full of many strange acts. Some good, some bad, some outright bizarre and a hell of a lot of pop culture. It felt like one strange crossover, as though entering a parallel dimension where all these fictional universes exist among our own. It was by far the most bizarre episode of Britain's Got Talent to date; they even had Scaramouche from We Will Rock You audition. Rachael Wooding performed as both Scarmouche and another character called Meat in one of my favourite West End musicals and she is definitely one to watch.

But let's talk about the most interesting part of tonight's episode: the crossovers. The episode started with David Walliams driving Simon Cowell around in the Ecto-1 and it has to be by far the coolest opening for the show they've ever done. Just seeing the Ecto-1 in action was fun but the fact that it had the siren (which they accidentally set off despite being told off-camera they weren't allowed to do) made it even better. There was so much attention to detail too, with the ghost's head in the No-Ghost logo replaced with Simon's (although quite why David Walliams is driving around the very person his logo is claiming he is trying to bust is anyone's guess). They even used the theme song - shame Simon Cowell didn't sing along to it.

From Ghostbusters came my number one favourite thing in the entire world - Doctor Who, as the first auditionee decided to audition under the name Davros. His real name? Paul. He should have just stuck with Davros. Unfortunately it wasn't a very good act but it was still hilarious to see Davros sing Loveshack and attempt the river dance (a sight I never thought I'd see). I would expect to see this act in one of the semi finals, as there's usually at least one joke act for each semi final. The Davros costume was impressive though; he even managed to build a travel machine that looked exactly like the one from the show. I still have no idea why there was someone dressed as a policeman featured in his act; it would have made more sense if there was an I.M. Foreman Scrapyard prop gate behind him but alas, there wasn't.

The last of the crossovers came from Boogie Storm, a dance troupe comprised entirely of Storm Troopers from Star Wars. It sounds like a terrible act but they were actually really good. There was some great elements of humour and the fact they remain in-character throughout as the Storm Troopers helps distinguish them from other street dance troupe Diversity. Judging by the crowd reaction they could easily win; it was the crowd that made Simon Cowell press his Golden Buzzer for them, after all. They did deserve it though and it is a shame a Whovian can't do something like this for Doctor Who instead of always delivering bad acts based on the show. Let's see a street dance troupe made up of the Ood.

Overall, Britain's Got Talent was a strange episode but a fun one nonetheless. It was entertaining seeing acts based on TV shows and films, even if the quality between them varied. Also: one act that I didn't mention in this review - The Mimic Men - are the best impressionist comedy act the show has had by far. Another potential winner right there.

4.5

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Britain's Got Talent - Episode Six

I'm going to be honest: I didn't find the latest episode of Britain's Got Talent all that memorable. I can't remember who half of them were - it's almost like episode six never happened - whereas previous episodes I can recall pretty much the majority of the auditions. Singing Davros, The Mimic Men, Another Kind of Blue, Beau Dermott, Jasmine, Trip Hazard... All those have had a lasting impact on me.

Episode six's auditions though?

I can't think of one act I particularly cared about.

It says a lot when the most memorable act is a guy singing about the number 19 bus. For some reason the judges seemed to make a mockery of him but it was actually a brilliant novelty act, bringing to mind old songs from the past by the likes of Bernard Cribbins and Victoria Wood. My favourite bit was when he complains about the 'bloody screen' separating him and the driver. Whilst David Forest won't win, he'll make a nice variety act for the semi finals should he get through this Saturday (no doubt he will). David Walliams for once was the voice of reason when Simon Cowell failed to recognise the talent.

Then there was Saulo Sarmiento, who was like a real life Tarzan swinging around on a rope half-naked and showing off many acrobatic moves. Cue some hilarious camp comedy about David Walliams about Saulo's looks. Again, an act that won't win but will provide some much needed variety in the semi finals. It's a shame acts like this are rarely acknowledged by majority of BGT's audience as they never tend to win. The closest has been gymnast troupe Spellbound in 2010 but they weren't really an act of the kind you might find at a circus. Perhaps that's a problem: too many people associate things like this with circuses rather than appreciating the amount of talent involved. Regardless, there's probably more chance of Jasmine, Beau or bookies' favourites Another Kind of Blue winning.

The other acts barely got much of a reaction from me. I conducted a Google search and it seems the ones I've already forgotten were just a bunch of singers and dancers so no surprise there. Don't get me wrong, Chloe Fenton was good at ballet but really following on so soon from Jack Higgins she isn't all that impressive. Flying Bebop were unique with their mix of drones and dancing but again, nothing compared to what's come before. Then there's Morgan Smith, whose performance saw the return of a very cliche moment that usually feature at least twice a year in both of Simon Cowell's talent shows: the 'do you have another song' moment. This moment is so predictable because you know as soon as you see the hand what Simon is about to say and that the second attempt will somehow be significantly better than the first. It's not helped by the fact that Morgan seems more like an X Factor reject; in fact, there's no reason why she couldn't have gone on X Factor instead.

This episode was definitely the weakest audition episode so far. Most of the acts weren't memorable, with the exception of David Forest and the number 19 bus song. Thank God then for David Walliams, who provides plenty of humour throughout and subsequently makes watching this episode feel like less of a waste of time.

2

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Michael McIntyre's Big Show - Episode Four

There's a moment when you watch an episode of a new show and you think 'he's just the right host'. Of course, this doesn't happen with every new show but it definitely did with this episode of Michael McIntyre's Big Show. Honestly, Michael McIntyre's a brilliant presenter; he's funny, he oozes charm and he has a certain knack of doing it above others on BBC1 that gets the audience going.

He's miles above those who seem to be the BBC's favourites - the smug Chris Evans or bland Dale Winton. In fact, I would have been much happier if Michael McIntyre had took over Top Gear - and not just because I'm a big fan of him as a stand-up comedian. Don't get me wrong, he's no Ant & Dec when it comes to presenting but he is definitely the best presenter the BBC have.

In terms of the comedy, you really start to notice the difference when Rob Beckett comes on. He was one of the guests in this episode and he's about as funny as discovering your cat has thrown up in the bedroom. It's hard to even call it 'comedy'; think about the kind of jokes you'd expect an embarrassing Dad to make at a Christmas party and you've hit the nail on the spot. If I didn't know he was a touring comedian, I would assume he was some sort of cruise ship entertainer.

The unexpected star in episode four was handyman Shannon, who found out in a brilliant way when the box he was sent to pick up caused an entire room they had set up to collapse revealing the stage. Shannon, as with most of the unexpected stars, had always dreamed of being a singer and got his big moment at the end of the show with a musical number. And boy, was he good. The researchers of this series have done a really good job of finding people who both have dreams and can realistically sing; I don't know where they discover these people but it's clear there must be quite a bit of research involved into those they plan to surprise. It seemed a bit unfair that Shannon had to perform on his own though, given that the other unexpected stars have had somebody to perform with.

Now onto my favourite part of Michael McIntyre's Big Show, the Send To All game. This week, Bruno Tonioli was the celebrity whose phone Michael McIntyre used and as you would expect, he was wonderfully funny. The text claimed Bruno had lied about his age and was really 47 as opposed to 60 and featured humorous replies, such as Gary Linekar's 'Ha ha, daft idiot' and Gary Kemp 'This is a joke Bruno, surely? :(' The best one, however, was definitely Deboarah Meaden working out somebody had Bruno's phone (as with Russell Crowe previously). It's always brilliant when they discover the truth, especially when it's someone like Deborah Meaden who's famous for their stern no-nonsense approach to situations.

Overall, this was a strong episode of Michael McIntyre's Big Show however it was let down by the painfully unfunny Rob Beckett and the strange decision to have the Unexpected Star perform on his own. Tonight's is the first in two weeks so it'll be interesting to see how the penultimate episode compares.

4

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Technophobia

Series four was a highpoint for Doctor Who. In 2008, David Tennant and Catherine Tate's run as the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble saw some of the show's highest viewing figures. Now, eight years later they have finally returned via the medium of audio. And boy was it worth the wait.

Technophobia follows the Doctor and Donna arriving in our modern day (but Donna's near future given that she is from 2008) at the National Technology Museum, where technology starts to turn against the people of London. It feels like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, especially when the characters start to turn paranoid about machines because they can no longer understand them (one notable scene sees the population confused over a cash machine, something which we have considered commonplace but these characters believe could be a threat). In fact, if Alfred Hitchcock was here in the modern day and was asked to direct a Doctor Who episode, this is how I would imagine it being. The Hitchcockian method on playing on the psychology of people's minds and how it can affect our behaviour as a source of fear is extremely powerful stuff and works brilliantly for a Doctor Who episode (especially on audio).

So who's causing all this? A new threat called the Koggnossenti; an absolutely terrifying creation by writer Matt Fritton that definitely rivals monsters created for the new series. Hitchcock would be very impressed with their plan as it involves delving into the human mind: what would happen if we all technologically regressed and became less knowledgable to the point of being stupid? How would we react? The Koggnossenti's plan is basically to de-evolve our knowledge to a much earlier state and there is something decidedly chilling about seeing Meadow Digital (technology company) CEO Jill Meadows reduced to the point of not even knowing what a pencil is; this isn't played for laughs but more as a kind of tragic event that the Doctor of course sets out to solve.

And that brings me onto something else I love about this release, something that I love seeing Doctor Who stories do: when the Doctor ends up infected. That's what truly makes a Doctor Who villain great, because if the Doctor is affected by the plans then you know the other characters are in trouble. It's great hearing him stripped of his Time Lord knowledge, essentially made powerless against the new threat. Yet he still wins, he still manages to save the day...but he has to struggle to do so. For the Doctor, this is like Superman faced with Kryptonite or Tony Stark stripped of his Iron Man suit. It's always refreshing to see heroes have their powers removed.

The cast is a big highlight of this audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are perfect; their friendship is exactly as it was during series four: best friends travelling together having the time of their life. Then there's the amazing Rory Keenan, who plays a very likeable train driver called Kevin Jones whom I would love to see return in a future Big Finish release. I also loved temp 'Bex with an X' - a nice callback to Linda with a Y - played by Niky Wardley. She seemed like somebody who could be a future companion for the 10th Doctor maybe for a release between Journey's End and the Specials. Big Finish often feature brilliant casts with a variety of memorable characters and it's nice to see this continue with the 10th Doctor.

Overall, Technophobia is a perfect start for the 10th Doctor's run on audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are on top-form as one of the best Doctor-companion partnerships the show has ever seen and writer Matt Fritton provides a wonderful Hitchcockian vibe to this thriller about technology turning against us. Don't be surprised if you come away feeling a bit paranoid about your tablet though.

5

[honeykid]

I watched that episode of Michael McIntyre's Big Show because I was at a friends for dinner and her boy was still up. Family entertainment and all that. It was OK. It's honest, traditional BBC Saturday night light entertainment. I obviously like Rob Beckett more than you do, though. :D Frankly, once MM stops doing his intro, it's all downhill, though at a gentle trot rather than a gallop.

[Topsy]

i love send to all! the ronan keating one was hilarious cos you could see how nervous he was lol

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I watched that episode of Michael McIntyre's Big Show because I was at a friends for dinner and her boy was still up. Family entertainment and all that. It was OK. It's honest, traditional BBC Saturday night light entertainment.

And it's certainly a lot better than the other shows the BBC pass off as 'light family entertainment' (I'm looking at you, Don't Scare The Hare)!:D

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i love send to all! the ronan keating one was hilarious cos you could see how nervous he was lol

Yeah, I wasn't sure how it would work with the focus on celebrities rather than ordinary people but surprisingly knowing who some of the contacts are who reply actually makes it funnier.

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Britain's Got Talent - Episode Seven

So tonight was the end of the Britain's Got Talent auditions tale - and they didn't all live happily ever after. You're probably wondering why I started with that sentence; well, you see tonight's episode started with a wonderful fairytale book-stylised opening that nicely tied into the fairytale trailer for the show's return.

Tonight's episode was more like a fairytale view of talent in Britain too. Every act was talented in some form or another, with only one terrorising the land of BGT fairytale kingdom. Johnny Boonham was enthusiastic with his rendition of Is This The Way To Amarillo but as Clarkson, Hammond and May from Top Gear would say he was 'ambitious but rubbish'. What was strange was how Simon Cowell didn't even give him a 'no'. It would have been nice to see some common sense prevail among the judges but alas, not this time unfortunately.

On the bright side though the other acts more than made up for Johnny. The Dunking Devils were a hugely talented variety act and it's a surprise they didn't get through. Bollywest Fusion were good if you're into that kind of thing too, although it was mainly used as an excuse to show Alesha Dixon's so-called expertise in dancing when she's really more well-known as a singer. I have no idea why Alesha Dixon is presented as a dance expert because she only competed on Strictly Come Dancing and returned a few series later as a judge (which never made sense in the first place). Then there was Zyrah Rose, a four piece girlband who had phenomenal voices but probably won't get further than the semi finals in this competition. They're an act who would have been better off auditioning for The X Factor; the talent's just too strong on Britain's Got Talent for them to make much of an impact here.

Britain's Got Talent wasn't just about the auditions tonight but it also saw the most boring part of the show: bootcamp. Unlike The X Factor (that at least tries to make something of it, even if the Six Chair Challenge is too cruel on the singers) there's literally nothing interesting about this stage in the show. It's just the judges looking at a few photographs before informing the acts whether they're through. It's time Britain's Got Talent made this process more engaging to watch. Why not get the acts to perform again, for instance? Something really needs to be done.

It doesn't help when certain acts who could clearly win the show don't get through. I'm referring specifically to the Mimic Men, who were a brilliant impressionist double act, providing something fresh to the show over the other impressionist acts the show has seen (which have all been solo). Their impressions were some of the best the show has ever seen, yet two weaker impressionists by the names of Darren Altman and Craig Ball. Craig Ball in particular isn't worthy of a place over The Mimic Men; don't get me wrong, he was good but the only reason why the act worked was because he showed who the impressions were of on a screen whilst performing. If you removed the pictures, you'd have no idea who they were supposed to be.

Overall, Britain's Got Talent was a great end to the auditions but the bootcamp segment ultimately suffered. It is a generally unengaging part of the show, not helped when the judges slip up and don't put the right acts through.

3

[MovieMeditation]

Multiparagraphed reviews and ratings for Britain's Got Talent episodes?

The forum must've lost its marbles while I was gone. :laugh::D

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Multiparagraphed reviews and ratings for Britain's Got Talent episodes?

The forum must've lost its marbles while I was gone. :laugh::D
Oh, I lost my marbles a long time ago. :D

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Michael McIntyre's Big Show - Episode Five

It was slightly annoying at first last night when I saw Michael McIntyre's Big Show had been reduced to 45 minutes because of the football. It seemed like something that could have ruined the format - after all, the show has always so far been 55 minutes long. Why couldn't they have kept it the same length? It seemed like a silly move by the BBC.

Except it surprisingly wasn't. Somehow Michael McIntyre's Big Show works better as a 45 minute show. It feels more like Michael McIntyre's show and not a variety act with Michael McIntyre present; he was onstage for pretty much majority of the show and it was nice to see so much more of somebody who is a great comedian and doesn't deserve to be relegated to 'happens to be presenting' status. Those who watch the show for the variety will no doubt have been disappointed but this was far more pleasing for fans of Michael McIntyre like myself.

His jokes about bad eyesight were among his best material too. I couldn't stop laughing about his jokes about Opticians, for example, where he points out that instead of admitting you can't read the letters you squint and guess instead. Michael was totally right about how pointless the circle thing is; I never know what to say when they ask me if it's 'better or worse' because more often than not it looks pretty much the same. There was even a brilliant joke about when you sometimes fail to recognise people because of your eyesight. That's something I get a lot with my short-sighted eyesight and sometimes it results in me embarrassingly calling people by the wrong names.

This was quickly overshadowed, however, by this week's game of Send To All. Michael McIntyre sent a text to everyone on Robbie Savage's phone making out he had dreamt of his contacts presenting Match of the Day with him naked and it featured a variety of hilarious responses. Freddie Flintoff brilliantly said presenting Match of the Day was a weirder proposition than Robbie naked and there was a great response from a best friend of Robbie's who Googled up the meaning behind Robbie's dream and texted back that being naked could hint at insecurity but the best response was by far from former BBC1 control Danny Cohen, who even threatened to call the police. Whether he was playing along or not (Michael McIntyre said he already knows about the Send To All game) is anybody's guess but it was funny nonetheless.

This week's Unexpected Star florist Laura Thornton was yet again another member of the public who turned out to be good at singing. I still have to question whether it is fair to just shove someone onstage alone in front of that many people when other Unexpected Stars (bar the previous episode) have had someone to perform with though. It's a little daft - surely Michael McIntyre has star power to attract someone to do it? Somebody like Fleur East would have been great to see perform alongside the Unexpected Star.

Unfortunately, Laura was on the same episode as Katherine Jenkins so was pretty much overshadowed by the latter's performance. Katherine Jenkins is a brilliant singer; she definitely has one of the best voices currently and I liked how she joined in with Michael McIntyre joking about what she does when the doctor tells her to say 'ah'. Mind magician Colin Cloud was incredible too; somehow he managed to find out a member of the audience had their first kiss with someone called Basil despite never meeting her before. I don't know how they do things like that but it's certainly hugely talented.

Overall, last night's Big Show worked better in a 45 minute slot, resulting in more screentime for Michael McIntyre and one of the best Send To All games so far. Also: you can't go wrong with Katherine Jenkins and a mind magician like Colin Cloud. It's just a shame the Unexpected Star yet again didn't have someone to perform with.

4.5

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Britain's Got Talent - Semi Final 1

Last night was the start of the semi finals and at first it looked as though it was a promising lineup. Eight out of nine of the acts had strong auditions, Richard Bayton being the only one who looked as though he'd be rubbish. Unfortunately, however, the whole semi final turned out to be a damp squib with none of the acts improving on their auditions.

It didn't help that it started with the joke act. Richard Bayton performed an awful melody of songs featuring One Day More before bursting into a rendition of the Jackson's ABC. Yep, it really was as bad as it sounds. The following act Spartan Ressurection were a little better but their act fell a little flat when the story they tried to tell through gymnastics really wasn't very clear. It's a shame because their audition was brilliant but ultimately they failed to deliver.

The next act, Kathleen Jenkins, was good but even she suffered a bit. Her song choice was 'One Day I'll Fly Away' and it was nowhere near as strong as her audition. The song choice was a little old hat and didn't totally suit her. Still, she was better than a later singing act mother and son duo Mel & Jamie. I don't know why it was but Mel sounded nowhere near as good as in the audition on Sunday night and completely overshadowed her son even though it was supposed to be his act and her presence was meant to be only for support. Her overpowering of her son made for a very uncomfortable watch and it was a surprise the judges didn't pick up on it.

Every series of BGT has to have a street dance troupe and this year it was Total TXS. Whilst they were a very good dance act and the theming of a Britain's Got Talent Museum was clever, the problem with these street dance troupes is that they will always be compared to Diversity and Total TXS are nowhere near on the same level. As Simon Cowell said, if their performance had been to the more unique angle shown in the comedic Spice Girls section of the routine it would have felt much more original. It's a shame they didn't get through though as at least they had potential over the mother and son act (who came 2nd).

The other dancers on tonight - the Ystrad Fawr dancers, a ballroom dancing troupe - were ultimately a waste of a space in the semi finals. Their routine of ballroom dancing to old music is way too oldfashioned to be anything but boring and unimaginative; they just don't have a unique edge to them to justify a place in the finals and the audience aren't really given a reason to vote for their act. They were never going to come 3rd, never mind 2nd - indeed, they placed lower. It's just a dull act and one that shouldn't have made it this far.

Then there's Ben Blaque. His dangerous bow and arrow act was turned into a game of Russian Roulette with arrows, with Ben stood at the other end of the studio and the arrows all aimed at him. The only good thing about this act is that it went wrong - one of the levers shot two arrows out towards him rather than one. Ben Blaque basically sabotaged his own act by not revealing if the rest of the arrows would have hit him if pulled, therefore there was no proof as to whether he really was in any danger or if the entire thing was fixed to ensure his safety.

It was nowhere near as bad as the next act though. Impressionist Darren Altman can hardly be called that as his impressions were poor. Gordon Ramsey sounded nothing like Gordon Ramsey and Bear Grylls was only identifiable because his material referenced drinking wee. The only decent impressions were of Ant, Dec and Marco Pierre White. The rest of it was like watching a primary school child playing one of those awful playground games you used to do when you were little. How he got through over the fantastic Mimic Men beats me and makes a mockery of the entire show - especially when his audition was a bit 'meh' with the impressions to start with.

Thank God then for Alesha Dixon's Golden Buzzer 100 Voices of Gospel. If it wasn't for them, last night would have rated a 0.5 from me. They were magnificent; unlike their audition, they weren't just another boring standard choir act but offered something new by taking a pop song and turning it into a choir piece. Of course, they won the night and quite rightly too. Alesha Dixon clearly has good taste in Golden Buzzers.

Overall, last night's Britain's Got Talent was a shambles and the worst semi final in years. Thankfully 100 Voices of Gospel saved the show from being a complete waste of viewing time and now seem like the ones to watch.

1

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Britain's Got Talent - Semi Final 2

After a poor semi final on Sunday night, everybody wondered whether the quality would be as poor for the other semi finals. The line-up for Monday looked promising but then again, so did Monday nights. Thankfully last night's was much stronger (even if it did get off to a weak start).

First up were David Walliam's Golden Buzzer Ian & Anne, who sang a terrible performance of Bad Romance. The worst thing was that they clearly thought they were good singers even though we all knew they weren't. Their act would have worked better as a comedy performance as it may have had some mileage if there was some slapstick and running around added in and a point was made of them singing badly.

Wayne Woodward was next; he performed That's Life and came across like a clone of Michael Buble. Whilst he is a brilliant singer and better than most of the acts on the previous semi final, he wasn't anything special and I'm clueless as to how he won his semi final. There were far better acts on last night; I guess all the women were voting based on his looks rather than his actual performance.

Next up: Mythical PSM, a streetdance trio who like pulling a lot of strange facial expressions for some reason. They suffered from the same problem of Total TXS that you inevitably end up comparing them to Diversity and they're not as good but it was still a hugely entertaining performance and one more memorable than Wayne's ever will be. They helped to liven up the semi final, offering a welcome break from two singers following one after another.

The Garnett Family followed, a singing family of four who sang a great rendition of Aretha Franklin's Natural Woman. They were far stronger than in their audition; before I didn't really care about them but now if they were to release a CD I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It's a shame they were on such a strong night because if they had performed on semi final 1 they would have definitely got through. I wouldn't be surprised if they get a record contract.

And then there was the worst act of the night: singing accordion player Vitaly Voronko, who for some reason dresses up as a superhero whilst performing his act. He sung Hakuna Matata from The Lion King and completely massacred one of the best Disney songs of all time whilst Planet of the Apes rejects got lost on the way to a children's party. It was so awful that he nearly got buzzed off halfway through his performance, if only David Walliams had pressed his buzzer too. I thought I'd accidentally switched over to Cbeebies.

Now Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the fandango? Unfortunately Rachel Wooding (who played Scaramouche in We Will Rock You) didn't do that but instead offered a rousing version of Gravity. It's absolutely crazy that she didn't get through as she was far more deserving than Wayne Woodward. Rachel Wooding had one of the best voices in the competition and I would much rather have seen her again. I mean, she's Scaramouche and we haven't seen her do the fandango yet!

Quickly following after Rachel were my favourite act of the evening Another Kind of Blue. They offered a beautiful and very clever projection dance performance of two kids playing with the dancers in a box, made to look as though they were interacting with the virtual environment. They were like Attraction; a unique act that the Royal Family would absolutely love. They should have got through; unfortunately they didn't because for some reason most people prefer a not-as-good-as-Michael-Buble Buble clone and a sword swallower.

Yep, that's right: the next act, sword swallower Alex Magala, got through to the final. Despite the fact that his performance had to be pre-recorded. I mean, it's clever how he manages to do it without killing himself but what's he going to do if he wins Britain's Got Talent? He can't do his performance pre-recorded then. It's a pointless inclusion for the finale and I don't know how anyone can prefer it over talent that could easily be performed at the Royal Variety. Is the Queen really going to want to watch this act?

The next act, ballet dancers Shannon and Peter, were in the top three with Alex Magala and would have ultimately been a better choice than him for the finals. I'm not into ballet but they did give a hugely talented and beautiful performance and ultimately deserved to go through over Alex Magala. Simon Cowell and co should have stopped listening to the crowd chanting Alex's name and sent through them instead when it went down to 2nd and 3rd place. Their act could obviously actually work at the Royal Variety.

Overall, semi final 2 was much stronger than the first one. However it was spoilt by two bad joke acts and the stupidity of putting through someone who has to prerecord their act and therefore wouldn't realistically be able to do it at the Royal Variety Performance.

4

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Time Reaver

Jenny Colgan is well known among Whovians for writing many Who-related forms of media. She has quickly established a name for herself writing numerous books and Big Finish audios that tie into the TV series, so you can see why Big Finish chose her to write a story in one of the audio company's most high profile releases to date.

She's the perfect choice too, as she gets the 10th Doctor and Donna's relationship absolutely spot-on. In fact, somehow it's even an improvement over Matt Fitton's take on the pair. Catherine Tate seems much more comfortable by this point too; in Technophobia whilst she was fantastic occasionally she seemed a bit unsure in the way she delivered her lines, however here she is textbook Donna Noble. David Tennant, of course, is superb as always - when is he not when playing the Doctor? Jenny Colgan just seems to understand how to write the dialogue to their advantage.

Jenny Colgan also demonstrates a knack here for writing TARDIS scenes too. They are nothing short of engaging and feel as though they were taken right out of a Russell T Davies story, especially the end TARDIS scene where Donna discusses the events of the audio with the Doctor. That was something the RTD era did in many stories and it always allowed for a nice recap of events. She consistently maintains the series four vibe throughout too, with hints at the series four arc with lines like 'There's something on your back'. Compared to Technophobia, this feels even more like an authentic story from the Russell T Davies era.

The Vacintians feel like something the Russell T Davies era would do. Basically the Vacintians are space police like Judoon, but the difference is that instead of arresting for crimes they are the ones who deal with the paperwork and check whether or not you have a license for activities that require one. The RTD era was one that would often take the boring and mundane and turn it into something exciting; as usual, however, there is something else at play. In this case, a dangerous time weapon called the Time Reaver invented by the Vacintians to prolong the experience of being together as their planet is dying. I always like it when they introduce a tragic back story as it really makes you care for the events taking place. Also: there is a moving sacrifice by one of the characters (won't spoil it for those who haven't listened to the audio) that really sells the story and shows how much you care for the supporting characters.

The Vacintians are nothing, however, compared to this story's villain Gully. Gully is an alien octopus gangster and yes, it really is as mad a concept as it sounds. Gully's like something out of a Douglas Adams Doctor Who story and it's great fun listening to him trying to get hold of all the Time Reavers for obviously evil purposes. The Time Reavers are weapons that make a moment in time last longer, so in the hands of an octo-gangster you can see where things might start to go wrong. Big Finish really do write the best original Doctor Who monsters and I wouldn't mind hearing Gully return again. In fact, maybe he could make the transition to TV in a Jenny Colgan Doctor Who episode?

Overall, Time Reaver is the quintessential series 4 Doctor Who story beautifully written by Jenny Colgan. It has possibly the best combination of Russell T Davies and Douglas Adams-esque ideas, making it a Big Finish audio drama you really shouldn't miss.

5

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Britain's Got Talent - Semi Final 3

It's annoying when you see so much great talent slammed into one semi final. Tonight was full of acts who deserved to get through, yet you have to wonder why some of them couldn't have been on the previous two semi final. The judges put it perfectly when they said it was like a final. This semi final really let the other two down.

First up: Khronos Agoria, another one of those dance troupes that will unfortunately find themselves compared to Diversity. They were very lively and if they had been on the previous night's semi final they would definitely have got through. I couldn't quite tell what the story was meant to be though and it could really have done with better execution.

Girl group Zyrah Rose were next, singing 'Set Fire To The Rain'. With actual fire. Again, they were hugely talented but on another semi final night they would have got through. I'm not sure if their voices were as good as in their audition. Their performance was better but their voices sounded weaker somehow. Maybe they were just nervous but I don't think any record companies will be offering them a record deal after last night's performance.

Josh Curnow followed; he was one of those typical acts you get where the singer plays the piano and sings a song. His song 'Runnin'' wasn't a very good prediction that he'd run through the competition. Josh had a brilliant singing voice that would perhaps have been more suited to X Factor.

It's just a shame he was immediately followed by dancing polar bears. Vadik and the Bear featured six people in Polar Bear costumes dancing alongside Vadik; it was an act that was never going to win but there was something weirdly mesmerising about it. Even Simon Cowell liked it; in fact, the only judge to buzz was Alesha Dixon who claimed her and Simon had swapped bodies. Simon Cowell weirdly seemed like he was on drugs all night, making some very odd comments...

...including his comment to dancing with drones act Flying Bebop, who he told to add mice into the drones if he made it to the finals. Thankfully Flying Bebop didn't get through as that would have seemed more than a little cruel. It was very clever the way the drones and dancing mixed with each other, although I'm not quite sure what he'd have done if he had won seeing as his act bizarrely needed to be prerecorded. Would the Queen have had to watch a screen at the Royal Variety? I'm sure one would not be amused.

Morgan Connie Smith immediately got my disapproval by singing a 1Direction song. History, like all 1Direction songs, is an abomination and I wish it could be erased from music history. She did a better job of it than 1Direction themselves though, especially for someone who had to do their exams as well as perform on Britain's Got Talent.

Next: Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer act Boogie Storm, a dance troupe made of Storm Troopers. Whilst this act probably isn't going to win Britain's Got Talent, it's a very unique and fun dance act which definitely deserved to come 2nd place. There's a nice hint of comedy with the costumes that provide its uniqueness and I think the Queen would love them if they were to win. You could imagine this act on the Royal Variety.

The best act of the night performed second to last: Richard Jones, a magician who used to work in the army. Somehow he managed to transport a page from Amanda Holden's autobiography whilst it was on the Judges' desk into a tube and create the money he paid for it with fire. I don't know how on Earth he did it and I'm so glad he won last night's semi final for he was by far the most deserving to win BGT as of current.

He had tough competition from the last act ballet dancer Jack Higgins though. His routine showed him as the little Billy Elliot we saw he was in the auditions and had he been on semi final 1, he would have won the night easily. Unfortunately, he was up against tough competition so the poor boy ended up coming 3rd and ultimately not making it to the final. Here's hoping he's one of the wildcards as he definitely deserves to be there.

Overall, Britain's Got Talent's semi final last night was the strongest so far with both of the most deserving acts going through. It was perhaps too strong though, meaning one act who deserved to be in the final - Jack Higgins - ultimately hasn't made it through. Fingers crossed he gets the wildcard.

4.5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Technophobia

Haven't heard it but what the hell, I'll comment:p.

So who's causing all this? A new threat called the Koggnossenti; an absolutely terrifying creation by writer Matt Fritton that definitely rivals monsters created for the new series. Hitchcock would be very impressed with their plan as it involves delving into the human mind: what would happen if we all technologically regressed and became less knowledgable to the point of being stupid? How would we react? The Koggnossenti's plan is basically to de-evolve our knowledge to a much earlier state and there is something decidedly chilling about seeing Meadow Digital (technology company) CEO Jill Meadows reduced to the point of not even knowing what a pencil is; this isn't played for laughs but more as a kind of tragic event that the Doctor of course sets out to solve.

Honestly I'd have just called them the Cognoscenti – we all know where he's got the name, just as we knew where Philip Hinchcliffe got the Vituperon. I'm not a fan of using recognisable words as character names, and Star Wars has some of the worst examples, probably the main one being General Grievous. It can come over as infantile.

The idea itself is more noteworthy and it reminds me of a similarly powerful moment in Blake's 7's Killer.

And that brings me onto something else I love about this release, something that I love seeing Doctor Who stories do: when the Doctor ends up infected. That's what truly makes a Doctor Who villain great, because if the Doctor is affected by the plans then you know the other characters are in trouble. It's great hearing him stripped of his Time Lord knowledge, essentially made powerless against the new threat. Yet he still wins, he still manages to save the day...but he has to struggle to do so. For the Doctor, this is like Superman faced with Kryptonite or Tony Stark stripped of his Iron Man suit. It's always refreshing to see heroes have their powers removed.

It is, except when it's by someone as low down the pecking order as Cassandra:).

[SeeingisBelieving]

Time Reaver

Again, haven't heard it but I'm up for reacting.

Jenny Colgan is well known among Whovians for writing many Who-related forms of media. She has quickly established a name for herself writing numerous books and Big Finish audios that tie into the TV series, so you can see why Big Finish chose her to write a story in one of the audio company's most high profile releases to date.

Obviously after my time:D;).

The Vacintians are nothing, however, compared to this story's villain Gully. Gully is an alien octopus gangster and yes, it really is as mad a concept as it sounds.

A bit like a big slug gangster, in fact:cool:.

Big Finish really do write the best original Doctor Who monsters and I wouldn't mind hearing Gully return again. In fact, maybe he could make the transition to TV in a Jenny Colgan Doctor Who episode?

They're alright, aren't they? Kwundaar was my favourite and he's actually my all-time favourite Doctor Who villain.

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It is, except when it's by someone as low down the pecking order as Cassandra:).

I still find it really odd that Cassandra returned. I never really thought she had much mileage as a Doctor Who monster.

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They're alright, aren't they? Kwundaar was my favourite and he's actually my all-time favourite Doctor Who villain.

Honestly, they do a better job than some of the new series writers do with creating new monsters. The BBC really should get some of Big Finish's writers to write for the TV series.

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Britain's Got Talent - Semi Final 4

Last night's semi final was probably one of the most controversial the show has ever seen. It was ridiculous that some of what happened actually took place on live primetime television, especially when some of the audience will be families with young kids.

The most startling of these was Alesha Dixon's racist comment during Vox Fortura's performance. Vox Fortura, a band made of four singers, were described by Alesha as 'four sexy chocolate men'. Somehow this is alright because Alesha is black too but in my view it really, really isn't. What happens if children watching Britain's Got Talent start repeating this in the school playground? How does it make it any less racist just because Alesha's of the same race? If Amanda had said it, it would have resulted in an apology from Ant & Dec. But because it was a person of colour, it's fine. Well, that's wrong.

The other offensive behaviour that took place again was exhibited by Alesha Dixon and directed towards one of the acts. Alesha had something against fire act Bespoke Candi and its dancing dinosaur for some reason, to the point where she deliberately tried to sabotage the act by pressing the other judges' buzzers (after pressing her own) to try to get it to stop. This was really cruel and unfair on the act, that clearly put a lot into their performance and have every right to be there as the acts Alesha Dixon likes. It was childish behaviour, made even worse when Alesha Dixon went on to ignorantly criticise the act for being childish as if it was a joke when they were dancing with fire. Thankfully Dec told her off as it was uncalled for.

As for the other acts, Bollywest Fusion (Bollywood dancing mixed with hip hop) were great and better than in their audition. The Collaborative Orchestra (band made of singers and lots of instruments) were brilliant and really deserved to go through. Unfortunately they didn't. Balance Unity (dance act) was monotonous and just the same as his audition - once you've seen it, you've seen it. Somehow he made it through. Danny Beard was disappointingly bad with his performance of I Need A Hero and stormed off when Simon quite rightly criticised him for it. Christian Lee (magician) was like a bad children's party entertainer and thankfully didn't get through. Tumar KR (contortionist act) was great if a bit uncomfortable to watch.

The highlight however was 12 year old Beau Dermott, who sang a stunning rendition of Someone Like You. She was extraordinary; how a voice like that can come from a 12 year old is anyone's guess. It sounds like a grown woman's voice; of course, she won the night and quite right too, even if I voted for the Collaborative Orchestra. Beau Dermott could easily win this competition; I just hope it's not Alesha Dixon's Golden Buzzer now as she doesn't deserve to be given the chance to be smug.

Alesha Dixon truly showed her true colours tonight. She is a racist, cruel woman who was possibly under the influence of alcohol as it is the only explanation for her behaviour. Even one of the judges - David Walliams - accused her of drinking. Whether he was joking or not is anyone's guess but if I was Simon Cowell I would fire her. He won't of course but he really should. Her behaviour was not acceptable on primetime television.

Overall, semi final four was strong but ultimately ruined by Alesha Dixon's terrible behaviour. There are no excuses for trying to sabotage an act and using racial slurs. Alesha Dixon should be ashamed of herself and be permanently removed from the panel.

3

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Death and the Queen

Ever since her debut in 2006's The Runaway Bride, Donna has always been unlucky in love. First there was Lance, then Lee in Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead. Now she has a new love to add to that list: Prince Rudolph. And no, it's not third time lucky (she does get fourth time lucky in The End of Time though).

Death and the Queen by James Goss is basically one of those fun RTD era romps you would get halfway through a series. It brings to mind series 4's The Unicorn and the Wasp, as a mad caper with plenty of banter from the Doctor and Donna Noble. There are some truly classic Doctor and Donna moments in this tale, such as Donna's moaning that she can never have a wedding that goes to plan with the Doctor around and her frustration at her servants as future Queen doing everything for her including helping her get dressed. My absolute favourite are the early scenes where the Doctor keeps interrupting Donna and Prince Rudolph when they're trying to have romantic moments together. So Donna has finally met her prince and she's about to get married; I bet you're wondering what goes wrong this time...

Well, you see, Death has an army coming for the fairytale kingdom as it is revealed a deal was made between the people of the fairytale land and Death. James Goss plays expertly with creating atmosphere here, with Death at first being obscured by cloud making for a very mysterious and unearthly appearance for the audio's antagonist. It allows for a very powerful performance from Catherine Tate too when she delivers the line 'Death is staring me in the face'. It's a very chilling line and one that works best on audio than it probably would on TV.

Now let's talk about Death: Death is...well, obviously the personification of death as a character and is a very creepy one, especially when his true motives are revealed. The reason behind Donna's marriage is truly shocking and like something from the Philip Hinchcliffe era of Doctor Who. As you can probably tell by what I have said in earlier 10th Doctor audio reviews there's a real 4th Doctor feel going on in these three stories which seem fitting for the best Doctor of the new series. This tale in particular whilst basically as said earlier an RTD-style romp has a very gothic feel to it with some of its ideas and themes. It sort of similar to if you combined a Tim Burton film with an Edgar Wright one.

One of my favourite things about this story is Alice Krige as the Queen Mum. She's wonderfully unlikeable, more determined to hold the wedding than to even batter an eyelid at all the people dying at the hands of Death's army. She even takes a dislike to Donna and that's just not on. The Queen Mum is a brilliant villianess for David Tennant's Doctor to argue with; he, of course, is just perfect as the 10th Doctor as usual and brilliantly portrays the Doctor's desperation at wanting Donna back as a companion. Of course, she rejoins him in the end because Donna's exit doesn't take place until Journey's End and these audios take place between series four but you really feel for the Doctor when he just wants his best friend back.

Overall, Death and the Queen is a fantastic conclusion to the first Tenth Doctor Adventures box set and represents the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble at their best. Here's hoping for a volume two with Bernard Cribbins returning as loveable granddad Wilfred Mott.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Well, you see, Death has an army coming for the fairytale kingdom as it is revealed a deal was made between the people of the fairytale land and Death.

What, like Death's Deal ;)? Death's cropped up before in female form I understand – I think it's in Master as well. Plus other stories in other media. I remember reading years ago that they'd written the Time Lords as having three gods: Time, Death and Pain. Cheerful lot:rolleyes:.

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Britain's Got Talent: Semi Final 5

Last night was the last semi final for Britain's Got Talent and as U.S. President Barack Obama is allegedly preparing for the reveal of alien life in November, it was fun to see Davros return to the Britain's Got Talent stage and a potential return for him with a better act next year.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. First up was the Elite Squad Royals, a street dance troupe who perform as Queen and the Royals. I really like this act; it's a very fun mickey-take on the Royal Family, like a dance version of Channel 4's The Windsors and something I'm sure the Royal Family would have loved. I just wish they'd been on another night so they might have got through.

Ana and Fia followed, a singing duet who tonight sung Wind Beneath My Wings. They were a bit weak, especially compared to some of the other singing acts. They were even outshone by a child singer later on; it's no great loss that they probably won't be in the final (even though they didn't come 1st or 2nd place the judges could still give them their wildcard).

Now we're onto Davros. This act was terrible - and not in a good way. Davros saw the first buzzed off act of the series, which requires all four judges to buzz. Even David Walliams hated it and he's both a Whovian and enjoys the joke acts. I did agree with Alesha when she invited him back next year to try stand-up though, as he is a very funny man who seems to have chosen the wrong act to demonstrate his talent. I could see him making a brilliant stand-up comedian.

Thankfully the next act was so much better. Jasmine Elcock sung the song Wings and was absolutely stunning. She came 2nd in the results but really deserved to win the semi final night. The only problem with Jasmine is that she is arguably too similar to Beau Dermott (also in the final) and you could argue whether we really needed another act like 12 year old Beau. It's funny how it only leaves David Walliams' out of the Golden Buzzers that didn't get through.

This was followed by your typical BGT dog act Trip Hazard, a dancing dog that was better than the performance by last year's winners Jules, Matisse and Friends on the previous night's results show. They did a lovely Beauty and the Beast routine with owner Lucy dressed as Belle. It was a little odd having the dog presented as a meal at the start of the routine but the tricks were better than in the audition and it was definitely an act that improved on its initial appearance on Britain's Got Talent. It's a shame they didn't get through; hopefully they'll get either the audience or judges' wildcard.

The act after Trip I have huge respect for. The Togni Brothers are two brothers who perform an acrobatic act involving one brother stood on and performing acrobatic tricks on the other brothers' feet. Unfortunately the act went wrong when one of the brothers fell during one of these acrobatic tricks but amazingly they kept going and you've got to admire them for that. It must be awful when such a dangerous act goes wrong and I bet many fall apart over it, but at least it proves its live and it really shows their professionalism when they soldier on regardless. As Queen would say, the show must go on.

And now we're onto the winning act: impressionist Craig Ball. He sang the song Hello with various impressions of cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, Peter Griffin and Kermit the frog. Whilst he was good, I didn't think he was anything outstanding and I'm shocked that he somehow managed to win the semi final. The problem that I have with his act is that he needs to show who he's doing the impressions of in order for it to work and usually that's the sign of a bad impressionist. I much preferred the Mimic Men and still don't understand how he got through over them.

Second to last act Chloe Fenton was my favourite of the night. In fact, I voted for her ten times. She was fantastic with her dance routine; very energetic and so very entertaining to watch. It's incredible how she has all that energy fizzing up inside her. For some reason, people on Facebook didn't seem to understand her act but I thought Chloe was incredible and the real winner in my eyes. She definitely should have won over Kermit the frog.

The show ended with your typical school choir. Don't get me wrong, the Presentation School Choir are hugely talented but I just find choirs so boring and unengaging to watch unless they offer something different or unique. You see them so often on Britain's Got Talent that you can't help but roll your eyes and think to yourself 'not again'. I'm glad they didn't get through.

One thing that really annoyed me is how Alesha Dixon never apologised for her appalling behaviour in semi final four. She surely must know by now she upset a lot of people and it is disgusting that she didn't acknowledge her actions were wrong. I wish Simon Cowell would fire her from the panel but even though in real life it would result in a sack, she'll probably still be a Britain's Got Talent judge at least until the end of this series if not 2017 as well.

Overall, Britain's Got Talent's semi finals finished on a high that was unfortunately spoilt by no apology over Alesha Dixon's behaviour and the wrong act winning the semi final night.

4

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The Stockbridge Showdown

It's amazing to think that not only has Doctor Who Magazine lasted 500 issues, but that by doing so it has broken the Guinness World Record for longest running TV tie-in magazine. One of my favourite features about DWM has always been the comic strip so it's nice that it formed a major part of the magazine's celebrations.

The Stockbridge Showdown sees the 12th Doctor return to Stockbridge, a prominent village in the Doctor's magazine adventures. The TARDIS has 'found' UFO spotter Maxwell Edison who the Doctor needs as 'local knowledge' to find the cause of some temporal distortions. This quite rightly feels like a celebration of Doctor Who Magazine, with popular comic characters from the magazine's past 500 issues returning such as Frobisher, Magenta Price and of course, Maxwell himself. The problem is that some of these character inclusions feel forced and don't really compliment the narrative. The story is good overall for a comic strip although I can't help but think it would have worked better as just a 12th Doctor and Max tale.

My other problem with is that the conclusion feels a bit rushed and somewhat convenient. Don't get me wrong, the twist of who the trap is really for is clever but it feels more than a little forced, especially the way Frobisher is revealed. The comic strip had a few extra pages than usual but with the number of characters featured in the strip it would probably have benefitted from numerous parts. One thing you can't deny though is that it does undeniably feel comic book-y with the numerous characters featured. It wouldn't be a story that would work on TV but as a comic strip it is workable.

The use of different artists from DWM's past didn't quite work in its favour either. It's a great idea to have numerous artists like Dave Gibbons and Adrian Salmon work on one strip but ultimately in execution it didn't pay off. There are too many comic strip styles on display and the whole thing feels disjointed rather than one whole piece. It's like the artists couldn't agree on one style to use so opted for different ones. It can occasionally make for a muddled and confusing read as the sudden change drags you out of the story.

The dialogue by Dave Gibbons and Roger Langridge is brilliant though. They have got the characterisation of the 12th Doctor perfect and clearly know their DWM history. In fact, it feels like a natural progression from the 12th Doctor as seen in The Husbands of River Song (interesting fact: this is actually the first Doctor-only, no Clara comic strip from DWM). The dialogue is completely faultless and probably one of the most authentic 12th Doctor comic strips I have read.

Overall, The Stockbridge Showdown certainly isn't among DWM's best comic strips. The dialogue is strong and the idea of using different artists from the magazine's history is a good one but unfortunately it just doesn't quite gel in execution and a lot of the characters feel somewhat forced into the narrative rather than fitting in naturally.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

In the paper today, in an article on his A Midsummer Night's Dream, Russell T Davies is described as "the man who sexed up Doctor Who". Interesting choice of words, as "sexed up" doesn't wholly suggest something good in retrospect. In its literal sense it was always something that bothered me about his approach – remember the policeman asking the Doctor if he was in a sexual relationship with Rose? (and seemed satisfied with the responses all too quickly); but he's tame compared to Steven Moffat.

[honeykid]

Sexed up, used like that, just means jazzed up, doesn't it?

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In the paper today, in an article on his A Midsummer Night's Dream, Russell T Davies is described as "the man who sexed up Doctor Who". Interesting choice of words, as "sexed up" doesn't wholly suggest something good in retrospect. In its literal sense it was always something that bothered me about his approach – remember the policeman asking the Doctor if he was in a sexual relationship with Rose? (and seemed satisfied with the responses all too quickly); but he's tame compared to Steven Moffat.

Yeah, 'sexed up' is an odd choice of words. 'Re-energised' would make more sense.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Sexed up, used like that, just means jazzed up, doesn't it?

I'm not sure. It suggests something is sexualised to me.

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The Fantastic Four

Many people tend to forget that there was a Fantastic Four film before the 2005 Tim Story version. German production company Constantin Film (who still own the rights today) bought the rights from 1983 but due to budget concerns were unable to find a company to distribute it. Of course, Fox are behind the Fantastic Four distribution as of current. The rights were due to expire in 1992; after being refused the extension producer Bernd Eichinger decided to make a low-budget version with B-movie director Roger Corman. The film was never actually released but you can watch it for free on YouTube.

The film tells the story of the Fantastic Four's origin; Reed (Alex Hyde-White), Susan (Rebecca Staab), Ben (Michael Bailey-Smith) and Johnny (Jay Underwood) gain their powers from cosmic rays that break through Reed's cosmic shield and together they become the Fantastic Four - a dysfunctional superhero family unit who work together to fight supervillains. The Fantastic Four have a number of memorable villains in the comics ranging from the Puppet Master to Galactus (it's a shame Marvel/Disney currently can't use them); here, they are shown fighting Doctor Doom (Joseph Culp) and 'The Jewler' (Ian Trigger) who I still can't work out if he was supposed to be the Mole Man of the comics or not. What I really admire about this film is the way that it improves the team's origin. In the comics, it kind of falls flat because you would expect someone with the intelligence of Reed Richards would have been able to invent something capable of stopping the cosmic rays from entering the spacecraft. Here, however, the origin makes more sense as it is a deliberate sabotage due to the replacement of a diamond being used to power the cosmic shield with a fake copy (meaning that they fail). This is the origin that the Fantastic Four deserve - it remains faithful to the comic book's origin whilst also improving on it so it makes more sense.

Another plus is how faithful it remains to the Fantastic Four comics. Reed has his trademark grey pieces of hair, Doctor Doom actually looks like Doctor Doom and the spacecraft crash happens in a field that resembles where they discover their powers in the comics. It's extremely close to the first comic book story. If the Jewler is the Mole Man, then they even have the Mole Man appear in their first adventure as in the comics. It also squeezes in the brilliant character of Alicia (Kat Green), the kind blind girlfriend of The Thing who due to her disability sees him only as Ben Grimm and not the monster he has become. It feels like watching a Fantastic Four comic; more so than any of the other Fantastic Four films so far.

It is unfortunately let down by some poor acting. Reed and Victor's (who, of course, later becomes Doctor Doom - why does he always have to have some connection to the Fantastic Four in the films?) friendship is never convincing largely because Alex Hyde-White and Joseph Culp have no chemistry together. In fact, both seem a little dull. I wasn't entirely convinced by Alex-Hyde White and Rebecca Staab as a couple either because it largely feels forced and it's a bit weird seeing them meet once when they were younger then suddenly seeming so familiar with one another ten years later. Michael Bailey-Smith is a little better as Ben Grimm but you don't really get to see enough of his friendship with Reed before the fast-forward and the formation of the Fantastic Four. The best of the four leads is probably Jay Underwood as Johnny. He's nothing compared to Chris Evans' Human Torch but still brilliantly plays the cocksure hotheaded attitude of Johnny Storm. He pretty much steals the film and provides the most memorable performance of any of the actors in the film.

The acting is likely not the reason why this take on Fantastic Four was never released commercially though. Whilst special effects aren't a major concern for me when I decide to watch a TV show or movie, a lot of the effects in this film are terrible and you can tell they were made on the cheap. The most obvious example is The Thing, who looks horrendous - like something you'd put together with items from Poundland. It's not just the costume that looks bad but simple movement like the lips when he talks or the raising of the eyebrows. Nothing really looks convincing about it. The flying effect for Johnny Storm looks pretty ropey too; you can tell it's a very early cheap CG sequence and his body really isn't flying or on fire and it could take some viewers out of the movie. If you're used to watching low-budget films or TV shows like the classic series of Doctor Who you'll probably be fine though.

Overall, the 1994 Fantastic Four film is a faithful adaptation of the comics that is unfortunately let down by bad acting and some ropey special effects. It's still the most accurate version of the Fantastic Four so far though, if not the best (I still prefer the Tim Story films) and it manages to improve on the Fantastic Four's origin story.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

Sexed up, used like that, just means jazzed up, doesn't it?

Oh yes, they most likely mean in that way. I'm just making the point that his Doctor Who was also more sexually aware.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Yeah, 'sexed up' is an odd choice of words. 'Re-energised' would make more sense.

I mean, in recent contemporary TV, a more sexualized take on things was around even with Andrew Davies when he was doing Pride and Prejudice. One idea in particular was quite explicit and wasn't eventually used.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I mean, in recent contemporary TV, a more sexualized take on things was around even with Andrew Davies when he was doing Pride and Prejudice. One idea in particular was quite explicit and wasn't eventually used.

I don't think 'sexualised' is ever the right word for Doctor Who anyway. I would never describe the show as that.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I don't think 'sexualised' is ever the right word for Doctor Who anyway. I would never describe the show as that.

I called it a more sexually aware version of the show, which I think is fair.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Many people tend to forget that there was a Fantastic Four film before the 2005 Tim Story version. German production company Constantin Film (who still own the rights today) bought the rights from 1983 but due to budget concerns were unable to find a company to distribute it. Of course, Fox are behind the Fantastic Four distribution as of current. The rights were due to expire in 1992; after being refused the extension producer Bernd Eichinger decided to make a low-budget version with B-movie director Roger Corman. The film was never actually released but you can watch it for free on YouTube.

I didn't know that, and I'm interested now:).

Whilst special effects aren't a major concern for me when I decide to watch a TV show or movie,

No, I'm the same;).

If you're used to watching low-budget films or TV shows like the classic series of Doctor Who you'll probably be fine though.

…or even the new Doctor Who. Let's not be too generous with the compliments:D:rolleyes:.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I didn't know that, and I'm interested now:).
I'm glad my review has made you interested in seeing the film. You won't regret watching it; it's an interesting piece of comicbook film history.


…or even the new Doctor Who. Let's not be too generous with the compliments:D:rolleyes:.
I actually find the new series effects extremely impressive. I mean, yeah, they're not Jurassic World but for a TV budget they work nicely.

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Britain's Got Talent Final 2016

Last night was not just the final of Britain's Got Talent but a celebration of 10 years on the air. This, quite simply, was Britain's Got Talent's version of Day of the Doctor. Granted, 10 years isn't as long as 50, but it's still impressive for a TV show to last as long as that - especially given how controversial Simon Cowell can be.

As there were 12 acts this semi final, I'm going to take a different approach rather than review every single one (I think that review would be a bit too long to be anything other than unengaging). Instead I am going to review the three highest-placed acts among some I wasn't so impressed by and my joint favourite with the winner. I'll mention a few others in a single paragraph but they won't be covered in as much detail. I'll also be covering two of the three guest performances because they were simply too stunning not to mention.

This year's final certainly opened in spectacular style. Katherine Jenkins - not to be confused with Kathleen Jenkins - unexpectedly gave a stunning performance during the judges' entrance and made this final of Britain's Got Talent feel more special than any other. She is always a consistently good singer; I don't think I have ever seen a bad TV performance by Katherine Jenkins. I don't think she's even capable of being bad.

Third place act of the night were the dancing stormtroopers Boogie Storm. It's not hard to see why they were so popular; Boogie Storm are a very unique and funny act - which is really what a street dance act needs to set itself apart from Diversity. It says a lot that when street dance troupes do something truly unique, they come very close to winning. The message we as the viewers are giving to these troupes is basically that if you want your talent to be acknowledged, don't just copy Diversity because they happened to win the year they were on. It helped that Boogie Storm had the Star Wars angle of course but it was never used as an excuse to cover any bad dancing. They were good dancers and didn't need pop culture to be popular.

Singer Wayne Woodward somehow managed to come second and I still cannot work out why. He performed his take on the song Feeling Good and it didn't really do a lot for me. Don't get me wrong: he's a good singer but he just doesn't seem like anything special. Wayne's a bit average and seems like nothing more than a Michael Buble clone. My only guess is that a lot of mothers voted for him as it seems like the kind of act they would enjoy. I'm glad he didn't win though as I find it boring when singers win Britain's Got Talent.

The winner of the final of Britain's Got Talent was also my joint-favourite of the night Trip Hazard. Magician Richard Jones did a brilliant card trick where he talked about a war veteran who used to do magic like him. It was a fantastic way of presenting his trick and it made a change to see a magician on the show tell a story through their act. It was basically like Attraction, only with magic instead of shadow theatre. He definitely deserved to win. Richard was a proper variety act and it made a change for a magician to win as one has never won before. They've come close - Jamie Raven came second last year - but never won before this year's final.

Now: let's talk about my joint-favourite. Trip Hazard were a dancing dog act who didn't get through in their semi final but instead won the public wildcard. They did a brilliant routine dressed as superheroes, improving significantly on both their semi final and audition performances by incorporating a load of old tricks. They only came 7th last night which was a shame but I guess people didn't want another dancing dog to win after one won last year. They certainly weren't as good as the best dancing dog act the show has seen Ashleigh & Pudsey but Trip Hazard gave a much better performance than Jules & Matisse did in the results show of one of this year's semi finals. In my view they were the real second place.

We've talked about my joint favourite, now let's look at some of the acts that weren't very good. First, sword swallower Alex Magala. I just didn't see the point in this act at all. His performance had to be pre-recorded again, so ultimately it all just felt pointless. What would he have done if he had won? Would the Queen have had to watch a screen of Alex doing his act? I doubt she would have been impressed in that. Alex quite deservedly only came 9th; admittedly a surprise given he seemed hugely popular but he didn't deserve to come much higher.

He was nowhere near as bad as singing impressionist Craig Ball however. Craig's impressions were so terrible that even he had to look behind him at the projections of the characters in his routine to work out who he was trying to do. Craig lost his way numerous times throughout his performance and there were many instances where you could hear his normal voice clearly break through. The worst thing about his performance was how lazy it all was; for a start, his act is a direct copy of YouTube impressionist Brian Hull. Not only that but it was the same performance he did in his audition with a few different impressions thrown in. The entire thing felt under-rehearsed and rushed; I have no idea how it didn't come last.

As for the other acts, Balance Unity was a major improvement on his semi final performance. He added more of the humour back in with a dance journey through television shows such as The X Factor and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and it worked really well. 100 Voices of Gospel were just your standard boring choir; nothing really special about them. Shannon & Peter gave a very impressive performance; I don't like ballet but even I have to admit they are hugely talented. Jasmine Elcock's version of True Colours was incredible for a young girl. She had so much confidence in performing it. Beau Dermott disappointingly just performed the same song from her audition - Defying Gravity - but she was still stunning and it was a surprise she wasn't in the top three. Mel & Jamie clearly seemed to struggle a little and their voices didn't quite sound in tune. It was no surprise they came last.

The highlight of the night had to be Ashley Banjo's brilliantly choreographed celebration of 10 years of Britain's Got Talent. This featured numerous popular acts from throughout the show's 10 year history including Diversity, Ashleigh & Pudsey and Attraction. It was a shame they couldn't get more of the winners - surprisingly there was no sign of Paul Potts, for instance - but it was still a wonderful celebration of the show. It was great to see the likes of Spellbound, Collabro and Kieran Gaffney join forces for one big performance. Personally, I would have swapped magician Jamie Raven out for Darcy Oake as I think Darcy Oake was a much stronger magician but you cannot fault the amount of effort it must have taken to put it all together.

Overall, last night was a very strong final for Britain's Got Talent that proved to be a hard one to call. It was also a great celebration of 10 years for the show, even if the 10 years performance didn't feature all the winners. It was let down, however, by a poor performance by Craig Ball, a pointless act in Alex Magala and a very average singer somehow managing to come second. The winner was well-deserved though and by far the best act of the night.

4

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Michael McIntyre's Big Show - Episode Six

Well, it came to this: the last episode of the best attempt the BBC has had at a light entertainment show of recent years. I doubt this is the last episode of the show altogether though; given the success Michael McIntyre's Big Show has had compared to,say, The Getaway Car it is bound to be renewed. Michael McIntyre is one of the BBC's biggest stars after all and he is much better than the terrible Chris Evans.

He started the show with a brilliant routine about encores (when a performer comes back on stage during a show to perform extra material). The big joke here was a very funny anecdote about a time he misjudged his bearings and somehow managed to just stand at the far corner of the stage looking like an idiot as opposed to waiting backstage to go back on. I've never really understood the point of encores when I go to watch a show so it was fun to see Michael McIntyre point out how ridiculous it is here. Maybe we are just greedy when we watch shows and expect to see more?

This weeks' Send To All was with One Show presenter Alex Jones and saw one of the funniest replies to a text the game has ever seen. The text was telling her contacts about a One Show segment on weird crushes and claiming the recipient was secretly hers. One of Alex Jones' friends thought it was serious and sent a brilliant text in Welsh Alex claimed to be declaring her love for Alex. I do feel sorry for Alex Jones and her inevitable awkward conversation with her friend but it was a hilarious moment and showcased the Send To All game at its best.

Whilst the Send To All game was strong this episode the same cannot be said, however, for this weeks' Unexpected Star: a plasterer called Aaron who had always dreamed of being a rock star. Unfortunately he wasn't to the standard of the series' other unexpected stars; his voice wasn't terrible but it wasn't anything special either. I don't think Aaron's going to be having much success after the show; probably back to the plastering for him. As with the other Unexpected Star segments, it also suffered from way too much padding with the relatives of the person being set up. We haven't got to know who this guy is so we don't really care when Michael McIntyre interviews a relative about them. It's boring and slows the show down.

Thank God, then, for the Brian's Chair game. It was nice to see a game with the audience finally return as it was without a doubt one of my favourite segments of the first episode. This focused around the idea of a member of the audience having a favourite chair in their house, which then went on to star on various BBC1 programmes including EastEnders and The One Show. It was a very fun segment, baring strong similarities to opening games on Saturday Night Takeaway where they have had a member of the audience appear on numerous ITV shows. I'm glad they decided to include a game over another act performing; this is the kind of show Michael McIntyre's Big Show should be.

Overall, Michael McIntyre's Big Show's final episode finally saw the series find the format that suits it best, by bringing back the idea of a game with the audience and reducing the number of acts performing. Unfortunately, it saw the worst Unexpected Star but the chair segment more than made up for it.

4.5

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Sleep No More

The found footage format has been used in many films since its success with the Blair Witch Project. Some have been successful but most tend to disappoint. It was inevitable that one day Doctor Who would attempt it.

It works incredibly well with Doctor Who too. One of my favourite things about my love for the show is how effortless it is at creating a world around wherever the TARDIS happens to land. This is no more evident than here. The found footage style allows you to feel like you're actually on a space station that feels like a real space station; the environment has its own rules and behaviour that allows it to feel convincing, such as an onboard computer that was reprogammed during a party by the space station crew so that you have to sing Mr Sandman to progress through the door. That is something that you can imagine real people doing in real life, especially if they were extremely drunk at the time.

Another thing Sleep No More cleverly does with the found footage style is explain why the camera is still rolling whilst all the bad stuff is happening. The explanation? Because there are no cameras; instead the sleep dust that make up this episode's monsters act as visual receptors that have been hacked by Doctor Rassmussen (more on him later). Everything we see, therefore, is more or less from the corner of the eyes of a character's point of view. It's a very intelligent way to bypass 'Why don't they just stop recording?'; a problem that many often have with found footage.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I haven't even explained the story yet. Well, basically a rescue crew have been sent to space station Le Verrier to save Doctor Rassmussen (Reece Shearsmith), where not only do they find the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) but also the revelation that he's the only crew member there. Rassmussen invented the sleep deprivation machines Morpheus, which due to getting rid of our need to sleep and wipe the sleep dust from our eyes has allowed the sleep dust to gather and create a monster - the Sandmen. Sleep No More is a classic style of Doctor Who known as the Base-Under-Siege story. There's something about the Base-Under-Seige that really works as a format for the show. Maybe it's the fact that the characters feel trapped, therefore conveying a feeling of claustrophobia? Or maybe it's because of it's simplicity - monster takes over base, monster chases Doctor and companion down a corridor, characters try to stop it getting in...? Whatever the reason, it clearly makes for an appealing format for the show and it was a wise choice to use it for a found footage episode. It emphasises that claustrophobic feeling well and feels unique to the show's other base-under-seige stories.

Whilst the Sandmen are unlikely to become iconic Doctor Who monsters, the villain of the story Doctor Rassmussen is fantastic and brilliantly played by Reece Shearsmith. He is definitely the most convincing 'human' villain the new series has seen as of current; it's brilliant how at first he seems somewhat vulnerable but hidden underneath is a cunning and devious side. There's a great twist at the end that you definitely don't see coming concerning the Sandmen and Rassmussen's real species; it's also a great idea that Rassmussen was compiling all the footage together to keep us watching and transmit a signal that will turn us all into Sandmen.

Which leads me onto another thing I love about Sleep No More: the Doctor doesn't win. Isn't it great when the Doctor doesn't win? I like to see the Doctor lose because it shows he isn't the hero who always saves the day. Of course, I wouldn't want to see the Doctor lose in every episode but it is always refreshing to see it happen so long as it stays to a minimum. It's also nice set-up for a proposed Sleep No More sequel, as the Doctor clearly has unfinished business here.

Of course, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are both brilliant as always here. The rescue crew are kind of average and nothing very special but Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman really shine as usual, especially during their exchange about putting 'Space' in front of everything. As Clara points out when the Doctor says placing the word 'space' in front of things doesn't happen, spacesuits are called 'spacesuits' and not something else suits. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman had so much chemistry together; I think they will always be one of the best Doctor-companion partnerships. It would take a lot for the Doctor and Bill to be as good as them.

Overall, Sleep No More is a brilliant episode that fantastically utilises the found-footage style to its advantage and even improves on it by explaining why they don't just stop filming. Doctor Rassmussen is the best human villain the new series has seen and it's great to see the Doctor lose. Here's hoping the proposed sequel to Sleep No More happens in series 10.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Interesting to read that. I knew the basics but I haven't seen the episode.

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman had so much chemistry together; I think they will always be one of the best Doctor-companion partnerships. It would take a lot for the Doctor and Bill to be as good as them.

I really struggled to find any chemistry there, whether in the show or outside it, but it's difficult to judge when you're only seeing bits and pieces. I thought there was chemistry with Matt Smith though, and it seemed to work very well.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I really struggled to find any chemistry there, whether in the show or outside it, but it's difficult to judge when you're only seeing bits and pieces. I thought there was chemistry with Matt Smith though, and it seemed to work very well.
They weren't as natural together in series 8 but in series 9 their chemistry is brilliant and it feels like the 4th Doctor and Sarah. It's not quite to the heights of 10 and Donna but it feels like Clara will probably be considered the 12th Doctor's definitive companion.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

There's a reason why Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory wasn't a straight adaptation of Roald Dahl's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - it's just too weird - but nevertheless, Warner Bros and Tim Burton decided to try it anyway. The result was one of the worst book adaptations Hollywood has ever seen.

Gone was the fun of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Instead, there was stupid dark flashbacks to Willy Wonka's (Johnny Depp) childhood, followed by a cast of annoying kids who pale directly in comparison to the kids featured in the Gene Wilder classic. The plot closely follows that of Roald Dahl's book and is the classic story we all know and love - poor boy Charlie (Freddie Highmore) finds a golden ticket in a Wonka chocolate bar making him a competition winner for a tour around the Wonka chocolate factory. Later, the tour is revealed to be a competition by Willy Wonka to find a suitable child to take over the chocolate factory from Willie. The problem is, the film follows the book too closely and doesn't realise that some things which work in print don't necessarily work on film.

Even the songs in this version rather than being original pieces written for the film are taken directly from the book. None of them are as good as the Oompa Lumpa song from the Gene Wilder version and I doubt the Roald Dahl songs were imagined to be sung to the tune they are performed to when he wrote the lyrics in this book. The lyrics jar with the too-modern backing track and to use them instead of either Oompa Lumpa or original songs was a big mistake.

There's also an extremely silly sequence where Veruca (Julia Winter) is mistaken as a bad nut by some trained squirrels. Yep, it's really as dumb as it sounds and terribly choreographed. It looks like something from a bad comedy; in fact, this entire film could easily be passed as a parody of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and nobody would batter an eyelid. How the Roald Dahl estate would rather have seen this rather than a sequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl had passed away when rights were secured for this reboot) is anybody's guess. I'd even go as far to say that the late Roald Dahl's biggest mistake before he died was to stop production of the planned Gene Wilder sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and consequently inflict this piece of torture on us instead.

Even Johnny Depp is bad in a role that really should have been perfect for him. It wasn't hard to imagine Johnny Depp in the role when he was announced as Willy Wonka but somehow he turned out to be absolutely terrible. For some reason he decides to play the part as a bizarre impression of Michael Jackson. Why would you even decide to do that? Willy Wonka is an eccentric but Billie Jean's not and never will be his love. If he was always going to play the part like this, he should have beat it instead of creating this awful thriller portrayal of the character. Gene Wilder is and always will be Willy Wonka and I wish Johnny Depp's take could be erased from my memory.

So is there anything good about this version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

No.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an abomination of a movie, like a film equivalent of the Atari game E.T. Johnny Depp does not play anything even close to resembling Willy Wonka here and the whole film follows the Roald Dahl classic too closely. This film deserves to be forgotten completely as if it never existed. Sadly, it won't be.

0

[Omnizoa]

So is there anything good about this version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

No.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an abomination of a movie,
rating_0
Nice.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Nice.

Thanks. I was certainly straight to the point there. :D

[SeeingisBelieving]

Amused tonight to see that an episode of the American comedy Special Unit 2, The Waste, featured a monster made from the fat of liposuction patients. Just goes to show that all ideas have already been done somewhere:).

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Amused tonight to see that an episode of the American comedy Special Unit 2, The Waste, featured a monster made from the fat of liposuction patients. Just goes to show that all ideas have already been done somewhere:).

It's a shame that all ideas have already been done somewhere. Nothing is completely original anymore.

[Omnizoa]

It's a shame that all ideas have already been done somewhere. Nothing is completely original anymore.
I know, like female leads in Ghostbusters. Female leads were done a LONG TIME AGO.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I know, like female leads in Ghostbusters. Female leads were done a LONG TIME AGO.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how well the film is received.

[gbgoodies]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

So is there anything good about this version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

No.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an abomination of a movie, like a film equivalent of the Atari game E.T. Johnny Depp does not play anything even close to resembling Willy Wonka here and the whole film follows the Roald Dahl classic too closely. This film deserves to be forgotten completely as if it never existed. Sadly, it won't be.

0

It's unfair to compare this movie to the Atari E.T. game. The game wasn't anywhere near as bad as the movie.


Nice.

But accurate.

[Omnizoa]

It's unfair to compare this movie to the Atari E.T. game. The game wasn't anywhere near as bad as the movie.
Yeah, E.T. gets an unfair rap. Now that games are considerably bigger and more complicated, people can **** them up in WAY MORE WAYS!

[DalekbusterScreen5]

It's unfair to compare this movie to the Atari E.T. game. The game wasn't anywhere near as bad as the movie.
At least they actually tried with E.T...:p

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I know, like female leads in Ghostbusters. Female leads were done a LONG TIME AGO.

True. Tomb Raider, Alien and Catwoman, to name a few.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Logopolis

It must have been a sad time for Whovians alive in 1981. The most popular Doctor of that time Tom Baker was about to leave the show he had been the lead for seven years. It would perhaps have looked unlikely anybody would even be able to be twice as good as him. So how do you write out the most popular Doctor?

With a pretty average story it seems. The fourth Doctor's regeneration story sees the Doctor and companions arrive on Logopolis: a planet of mathematicians (yep, they're as boring as they sound) who have the ability of block transfer computations (using calculations to create physical forms). The Doctor wants the people of Logopolis to use this to repair the TARDIS. The Master (Anthony Ainley) arrives and stops the calculations via a counterwave, accidentally causing the end of the universe. It's nothing really special for a regeneration story, certainly not for a fan favourite Doctor. They try to make it sound more exciting by involving the end of the universe but aside from Logopolis collapsing, you don't really see a lot of universal destruction. Logopolis and the mathematicians are a boring concept and really shouldn't have been an idea that made it to the show.

Logopolis is also a story that appears to be more about introducing the new TARDIS crew rather than waving a final goodbye to a hugely successful Doctor. Within the first episode Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) has already accidentally found herself in the TARDIS. The Master himself is Nyssa's father. There's even the whole Watcher element that's hinted to be the next Doctor in some form. This would probably have been more acceptable as Peter Davison's story than as Tom Baker's last. It feels too forward-looking, when really a regeneration story should be a celebration of that Doctor's time in the TARDIS before getting a first glimpse at the newcomer.

On the positive side, Tom Baker's regeneration scene is great. He falls from a radio telescope to stop the Master's new plan to restart the universe's collapse after the Doctor and the Master worked together to stop it. It's a fittingly noble sacrifice on behalf of the universe for such a beloved Doctor and still holds as one of the best regeneration sequences the show has seen. Plus it features the classic line 'It's the end...but the moment has been prepared for' which perfectly explains the process of regeneration. As the series five trailer for the new series of Doctor Who stated, 'The end is just the beginning'.

Tom Baker is on top form too (if not at his very best) and new companion Tegan Jovanka is made a likeable if a little gobby presence by Janet Fielding. I wasn't entirely convinced by Sarah Sutton as Nyssa; a lot of the time she feels like she's just there rather than contributing much beyond the fact that the Master is now using the body of her father. As for Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, he isn't the most compelling character in Logopolis but at least being the holder of a badge of mathematical excellence he has a strong connection to the main plot. Anthony Ainley outshines all of them bar Tom Baker though; his incarnation of the Master was none so brilliant than here, especially when teaming up with the Doctor and subsequently betraying him.

Overall, Logopolis is a bit of an average regeneration story; surprisingly so for the most popular classic series Doctor. Tom Baker deserved better than this. At least he got one of the best regeneration sequences though and new companion Tegan Jovanka is likeable enough. It's just a shame they didn't keep back the introduction of the new companion to Peter Davison's first episode in the role rather than have it take the spotlight away from Tom Baker.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

I think The Keeper of Traken would have been the best option for the regeneration story.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I think The Keeper of Traken would have been the best option for the regeneration story.

Yeah, that would have solved the problem of Tegan's arrival overshadowing the Doctor's regeneration story.

[Thursday Next]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

So is there anything good about this version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

No.
0

I thought it was fine, right up until Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka shows up. And from then on its wrong, wrong, wrong.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I thought it was fine, right up until Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka shows up. And from then on its wrong, wrong, wrong.

I think Tim Burton was the wrong director for it anyway. It needed someone more like Steven Spielberg, who is able to convey the childlike wonder and magic that Roald Dahl's books require.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Yeah, that would have solved the problem of Tegan's arrival overshadowing the Doctor's regeneration story.

Yeah, it was all very awkward with Nyssa having to be brought to Logopolis by the Watcher as well. I love that whole season, though, it really is my favourite. It's maybe the most like a new series season in a way too with the overall arc and clearly defined individual stories.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Yeah, it was all very awkward with Nyssa having to be brought to Logopolis by the Watcher as well.
Personally, I think Nyssa would have been best introduced in an earlier serial, with her joining as companion straight away. The way they made her companion was very haphazard, almost like her becoming companion was an afterthought.
It's maybe the most like a new series season in a way too with the overall arc and clearly defined individual stories.
It's odd how the end of the universe feels so ordinary in Logopolis though.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Personally, I think Nyssa would have been best introduced in an earlier serial, with her joining as companion straight away. The way they made her companion was very haphazard, almost like her becoming companion was an afterthought.

That's funny because with companions like Frazer Hines it actually was an afterthought, but with Sarah Sutton I'm not sure.

It's odd how the end of the universe feels so ordinary in Logopolis though.

I suppose it's an area where the budget affects how much you can show the scale of the danger. It's a bit like the Time War – how can you do justice to something so colossal? I quite like the Logopolitans and their computations though. Somehow they remind me of the Fates, spinning time on their looms.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

That's funny because with companions like Frazer Hines it actually was an afterthought, but with Sarah Sutton I'm not sure.
With Frazer Hines it probably wasn't noticeable though given he joined in the very story he was introduced in - The Highlanders. We'll never know for sure unless the serial ever turns up.


PQUOTE]I suppose it's an area where the budget affects how much you can show the scale of the danger. It's a bit like the Time War – how can you do justice to something so colossal? .[/QUOTE]
Logopolis would probably have worked better as a Big Finish audio drama. Then you could jut imagine it in your head.

[SeeingisBelieving]

With Frazer Hines it probably wasn't noticeable though given he joined in the very story he was introduced in - The Highlanders. We'll never know for sure unless the serial ever turns up.

Yeah, I know he filmed two versions of the ending, one where Jamie's left behind and the other, broadcast one, where he goes with the Doctor.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I've added all my reviews in this thread to a new blog site - Dalekbuster Screen 5 Reviews:

http://dalekbusterscreenfivereviews.blogspot.co.uk

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Time Meddler

The Time Meddler is an oddity in the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who. It was a story set in the past like so many other stories of the era...only this time, with a science fiction twist. You see, instead of it being a straight historical primarily made to educate rather than entertain this serial was the first in Doctor Who's history with a historical event setting to feature a villain other than one from that time period for the Doctor to defeat.

The plot sees a member of the Doctor's own race the Meddling Monk (Peter Butterworth) attempt to change the course of Earth history during the year 1066: the Battle of Hastings. This is a serial that was clearly ahead of its time; nowadays not only are we used to seeing a historical period invaded by an alien menace but we also tend to see a lot of plots that involve changes to time. Steven Moffat most notably uses this frequently as a plot point in the series; The Wedding of River Song in particular sees a fixed point in time changed when River refuses to kill the Doctor.

Unfortunately in The Time Meddler it doesn't quite live up to its potential. Due no doubt to the shoe string budget of the time, it never really feels like you see time changed in any major or significant way. You see the Monk has access to technology in his monastry which doesn't belong to 1066 such as toasters and a gramophone but you never see anything particularly big happen to alter the course of history. The Doctor (William Hartnell) says that the Vikings are defeated at the Humber but it would have been cool to see the Meddling Monk change this so the Vikings win and I'm pretty sure had this been a modern Steven Moffat two parter this is what would have happened. Instead we are only offered hints as to what the Meddling Monk has changed, via a check list that includes things such as 'Position atomic cannon' ticked. The serial ultimately drags and would likely have been one of those stories that would have worked better in the new series than it does in the classic era of the show.

I'm not entirely convinced by Steven Taylor as a companion either. He joined at the end of the previous serial The Chase and something about him just feels a bit too rough and ready for a companion for the first Doctor. Peter Purves isn't the best of the Hartnell era main actors either; he's no William Russell, that's for sure. The chemistry that William Hartnell, William Russel, Jaqueline Hill and Carole Anne Ford is missing too; they will always be the definitive first Doctor TARDIS crew for me.

Seeing the Monk's TARDIS is unbelievably cool though; the interior is the same as the Doctors but it is fun to see them enter a TARDIS through one that looks something other than a police box:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhqIaQP0bec
Also, there is a nice effect by the production team when the Doctor messes with the dimensional controls, causing the control room to represent the size of the object the TARDIS is disguised as:

https://tardisadventure.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/time-meddler-small-tardis.jpg

It doesn't stop the story from being a bit of a drag though and it would probably have worked better as a fun two-part diversion inbetween serials rather than a four parter. This is a story that would have been more suited to the Steven Moffat era of the show rather than the William Hartnell period. In fact, I'd like to see the Meddling Monk return in series 10 as I think he would fit in nicely now the Doctor has found Gallifrey in Hell Bent. This story just didn't do a lot for me, even if it did have a cool effect with the Monk's TARDIS. You've got to give credit to the writers though: they were ahead of their time.

2

[SeeingisBelieving]

The Time Meddler

The Time Meddler is an oddity in the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who. It was a story set in the past like so many other stories of the era...only this time, with a science fiction twist. You see, instead of it being a straight historical primarily made to educate rather than entertain this serial was the first in Doctor Who's history with a historical period setting to feature a villain other than one from that time period for the Doctor to defeat.

Apart from The Chase, where the Daleks appear on the Mary Celeste.

It doesn't stop the story from being a bit of a drag though and it would probably have worked better as a fun two-part diversion inbetween serials rather than a four parter. This is a story that would have been more suited to the Steven Moffat era of the show rather than the William Hartnell period. In fact, I'd like to see the Meddling Monk return in series 10 as I think he would fit in nicely now the Doctor has found Gallifrey in Hell Bent. This story just didn't do a lot for me, even if it did have a cool effect with the Monk's TARDIS. You've got to give credit to the writers though: they were ahead of their time.

I like the Monk – I haven't heard Graeme Garden doing it but I like the fact that they cast another comedic actor. I would have gone for Bill Bailey myself.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Apart from The Chase, where the Daleks appear on the Mary Celeste.
Ah, I forgot about that!

Let's say 'historical event' then, and the Mary Celeste can be classed as a 'historical mystery'.

I like the Monk – I haven't heard Graeme Garden doing it but I like the fact that they cast another comedic actor. I would have gone for Bill Bailey myself.
I quite fancy listening to The Black Hole at some point. I like the idea of Rufus Hound as the Meddling Monk.

Bill Bailey is an excellent idea; David Jason could be fun too.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Ah, I forgot about that!

Let's say 'historical event' then, and the Mary Celeste can be classed as a 'historical mystery'.

Yeah, it is funny that it took so long for that combination to happen.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I read today Steven Moffat repeating that the part of the Doctor had been offered to a black actor – I think when Matt Smith was leaving? I wonder who it was? Paterson Joseph or Idris Elba maybe?

I disagree profoundly with this bit of his interview though, as I think it's a mistake to try to alter or distort history, even with the best of intentions:

Moffat said the show must find new ways to get ethnic minority actors on screen in future.
"We've kind of got to tell a lie. We'll go back into history and there will be black people where, historically, there wouldn't have been, and we won't dwell on that.
"We'll say, 'To hell with it, this is the imaginary, better version of the world. By believing in it, we'll summon it forth'."

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I read today Steven Moffat repeating that the part of the Doctor had been offered to a black actor – I think when Matt Smith was leaving? I wonder who it was? Paterson Joseph or Idris Elba maybe?
It could have been either of those two really. Both were rumoured at the time.

I disagree profoundly with this bit of his interview though, as I think it's a mistake to try to alter or distort history, even with the best of intentions:
Yeah, I prefer the way it was handled in Human Nature/Family of Blood than if they were to change it as though there was never racism in history.

[SeeingisBelieving]

It could have been either of those two really. Both were rumoured at the time.

I liked the idea of Elba because he would have been a big physical contrast to Matt Smith.

Yeah, I prefer the way it was handled in Human Nature/Family of Blood than if they were to change it as though there was never racism in history.

You mean with Martha being one of the maids? Yeah — I prefer the truth.

I think what he's saying is dangerous and irresponsible, and in fact it is already happening. I noticed when Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands came along the multiracial cast that would never have been in that time period in that part of the world.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Little Miss Sunshine

There's something about the comedy Little Miss Sunshine that seemed to really capture audiences' attentions. Originally the film had a limited release in America but after a week it proved popular enough to become a wider one, being shown in over 1,602 American cinemas compared to seven during its original release. Over here in the UK, it made 652,399 in American dollars. It's fair to say that for something that was originally more of an independent film, it was a pretty big success.

It's no surprise really. I watched Little Miss Sunshine at university in my first year and it quickly became one of my favourite comedies of all time. The plot follows mother and father of two Sheryl (Toni Colllette) and Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear) set off on a road trip to California to take their daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest. They are joined by Sheryl's suicidal brother Frank (Steve Carrell), her son from a previous marriage Dwayne (Paul Dano) and Richard's father Edwin (Alan Arkin). One thing I really love about this comedy is the way it combines the farce and tragedy with the road trip.
You know Olive really doesn't look conventionally attractive enough to compete in Little Miss Sunshine but Olive is so hilariously ignorant to that fact that it takes a lot of hijinks with the Volkswagon's dodgy engine combined with an ill-fated road trip across America and a dodgy dance she performs in front of the contest's judges at the end of the film for her to realise.

About that dance: it is an absolutely hilarious dance sequence. You see, Edwin isn't your typical old grandfather figure but acts more like a teenager stuck in an old man's body and he helped Olive put her dance routine together. As the naive young girl Olive is, she didn't realise that the dance move is actually a burlesque performance involving her stripping off and throwing her clothes into the audience to reveal a vest and mini-skirt. The piece works so well because it plays to the characters' individual personalities. Olive is naive, Edwin has a dirty mind and when the parents jump on stage, they do it to protect her because they're her parents.

The focus isn't entirely on Olive's desire to compete in the beauty contest. The film is basically an ensemble and each character shines. Wannabe air force pilot Dwayne is brilliant with his refusal to speak until he achieves his dream. Richard is a lot of fun with his stereotypical life coach character spouting cliche 'inspiring' statements such as 'There's two kinds of people in this world, there's winners and there's losers. Okay, you know what the difference is? Winners don't give up.'. Frank provides one of the best lines of the film when he shouts at those booing Olive during her performance 'Where are they? I will *kill* those little ****ers!'. The highlight of the entire film is by far Alan Arkin as Edwin though. He steals the film with his teenage Granddad routine, coming out with some of the most memorable lines. One of my favourite scenes in the film is when he asks Frank to buy him a porn magazine. They could probably do a whole spinoff film about Edwin. He deserves his own spinoff.

The antics with the dodgy Volkswagen van are textbook examples of comedy gold too. They remind me of some of the best comedies out there, such as Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean or the Carry On films. Like a lot of the comedy sketches in Mr Bean, it's a pretty outlandish concept that you can't imagine working in real life (it would be hard to jump into a moving vehicle and the idea of having to push one until it's moving 20mph before its engine starts working is more than a little daft) but that's why it works so well. That's why we find it so funny. It was a definitely a great decision by directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris to combine this with the road trip format; I imagine it probably made the film easier to distribute, as the kind of comedy here is something that is easily translatable across countries where English isn't the primary language.

Overall, Little Miss Sunshine is without a doubt one of my all-time favourite comedies. It features a hilarious ensemble cast and successfully combines the farce, tragedy and road trip into one. It's worth watching for Alan Arkin as Edwin alone, who really should have a spinoff movie. If you haven't seen this film, you definitely need to give it a watch. You won't be disappointed, unless you accidentally broke your funny bone whilst trying to jump into a moving vehicle.

5

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I liked the idea of Elba because he would have been a big physical contrast to Matt Smith.
I can't really imagine Idris Elba as the Doctor to be honest. I think Richard Ayoade could make an interesting Doctor.

You mean with Martha being one of the maids? Yeah — I prefer the truth.
There's no point trying to disguise what happened in the past.

I think what he's saying is dangerous and irresponsible, and in fact it is already happening. I noticed when Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands came along the multiracial cast that would never have been in that time period in that part of the world.
I think it could be potentially more offensive than just showing an accurate representation of the past, especially for any black people still alive who lived during points of history where they weren't treated equally.

It doesn't sit right anyway to pretend that as the human race we've always been perfect.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I can't really imagine Idris Elba as the Doctor to be honest. I think Richard Ayoade could make an interesting Doctor.

He's great, Richard Ayoade, but I see him more as a comedy actor really. Did you ever see this great fan version of the show?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmWskheZ31c

I thought Spencer Kennedy was great. To me he was like a cross between Ayoade and Noel Fielding:). And it helps that Bryony Roberts is gorgeous as well as very funny:p.

There's no point trying to disguise what happened in the past.

I think it could be potentially more offensive than just showing an accurate representation of the past, especially for any black people still alive who lived during points of history where they weren't treated equally.

It doesn't sit right anyway to pretend that as the human race we've always been perfect.

Yeah, and if it isn't more offensive it should be.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

He's great, Richard Ayoade, but I see him more as a comedy actor really. Did you ever see this great fan version of the show?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmWskheZ31c

I thought Spencer Kennedy was great. To me he was like a cross between Ayoade and Noel Fielding:). And it helps that Bryony Roberts is gorgeous as well as very funny:p.
I never really watch fan films because I never find fan Doctors that believable. I just end up comparing them, which is admittedly a bit daft but I can't help it because the part has been so perfectly cast each time.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I never really watch fan films because I never find fan Doctors that believable. I just end up comparing them, which is admittedly a bit daft but I can't help it because the part has been so perfectly cast each time.

Definitely give Fire and Ice a go. I loved the way the Doctor was written in that.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Agents of SHIELD Season One

As season three is due to come to a close tomorrow here in the UK, I thought I'd review season one today followed by season two tomorrow. Whilst I hugely enjoyed season one at the time, in hindsight it was a bit of a mixed bag and suffered from studio decisions in regards to the scheduling of the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Season One was essentially the story on how Skye (as she was called back then, played by Chloe Bennet) became a SHIELD agent. In episode one, we see that she worked with hacktivists Rising Tide on exposing information from SHIELD on superheroes and superpowered people. In response to the Rising Tide's actions, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Leo Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) track Skye down and manage to persuade her to help them find super-powered Michael Peterson (who she met earlier, played by J. August Richards). After successfully managing to tranquilize Michael so SHIELD can keep him contained and protected, Skye joins Coulson's team as an unofficial member. It was a strong pilot episode for the show (written by none other than Joss Whedon) and successfully established the show's characters. Skye was an extremely likeable presence and the episode was naturally paced, with episode one's storyline definitely proving to be one of season one's best.

Unfortunately the remaining episodes before the Winter Soldier tie-in weren't quite to the pilot's standards. 0-8-4 disappointingly portrayed Daisy as more of a damsel in distress despite her being shown as a strong individual in the pilot, whilst Eye Spy was rather unmemorable. The Asset was a great episode though, exploring the origin of comic book character Graviton and The Well is a nice tie-in to the MCU (although not as good as later episodes that tie-in to the Thor films through the use of Asgardian warrior Sif). I also liked Girl In The Flower Dress, which saw the introduction of one of the series' best recurring characters in Raina.

The show doesn't become the thrilling series it is today until it becomes about Hydra infiltration in the episode End of the Beginning, the first tie-in to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In this episode, Victoria Hand is revealed to be Hydra and starts the season's tendency to reveal several agents as Hydra. In fact, it vastly improves the character of Grant Ward when he is revealed to be a Hydra agent: a move that successfully puts his bland boy scout portrayal into perspective. We now know it was a persona he put on and quite a convincing one too, because it never seemed like Ward could be Hydra. As soon as Hydra's takeover of SHIELD becomes a serialised story arc, the show feels much more thrilling to watch and many times you find yourself on the edge of your seat anticipating their next move.

It is always bold to take a good character and reveal him to be bad and never is it done more effortlessly here. Brett Dalton is without a doubt one of the best actors in the show, masterfully portraying Ward the SHIELD agent and Ward the Hydra agent as though they're two different people. He is wonderfully gifted and someone who really should have a film career.

Ming Na Wen is another favourite of mine as May. May's a brilliant character; her actions often speak louder than her not-very-many words. May is a total badass. The best fight scenes involve her character; the only negative thing I have to say about this character is that May and Ward's romance feels a little forced after the show so vigorously teased Skye and Ward getting together. Ming Na Wen plays the part brilliantly though and she has some nice chemistry with Brett Dalton.

Iain de Caestecker and Elisabeth Henstridge are fun as Fitz and Simmons, offering one of the show's best pairings. The will-they won't-they (become a couple) aspect to their relationship grows a bit tired though as it is obvious they'll end up together. It takes two further seasons for them to but I would have rather have seen them become romantically linked here. It would have made a lot more sense than May and Ward.

My favourites however have to be Clark Gregg as Coulson and Chloe Bennet as Skye though. I think they will always be my favourite characters from this series. Clark Gregg is fantastically dry and authoritative as Coulson whilst Chloe Bennet makes for a very likeable audience identification figure similar to the role fulfilled by companions in Doctor Who. In fact, Chloe Bennet is so great that I think she could easily hold her own alongside Robert Downey Jnr in an MCU movie. The explanation for Coulson's resurrection with project TAHITI is a very inventive one and I love how utterly bizarre Coulson's alien writing at the end of the season is.

Overall, Agents of SHIELD season one was a bit of a mixed bag. It took a while to get going but once the Winter Soldier tie-in episodes aired it soon picked up pace. The acting is consistently strong throughout the series but it features a bizarre May/Ward romance and the will-they/won't-they get together subplot with Fitz and Simmons quickly grates. Bizarrely, they don't get together until season three. It showed promise for a first season though and it was followed a year later with a much stronger season two.

3

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Spearhead From Space

Spearhead From Space was perhaps the biggest change Doctor Who had ever faced. For the first time, not only was the show was going to be in colour but the Doctor was also going to be stranded on Earth. No adventures set in the past, future or space. Everything on present day Earth.

They even decided to give the Doctor a job. He became the scientific advisor at UNIT. His boss: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. This was in some ways a great move by the production team. It helped to make the Doctor more relatable. More like us. In other ways, however, it limited the scope of the show. No longer was it anywhere or everywhere, it was just London. Nevertheless, it worked and proved to be a huge success from the show.

Looking at the introductory story, it's not hard to see why. Sam Seeley (Neil Wilson) sees a shower of meteors come down in Oxley Woods and decides to take one back home when he notices a UNIT officer's interest in them. Meanwhile, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is found collapsed outside a police box and taken to the local hospital. The Brigadier enlists the help of scientist Liz Shaw (Caroline John) and eventually the Doctor to help investigate the mysterious meteors and combat an Auton invasion. It's a rather simple story for the show and that's why it works so well as the beginning of a new era. It's also why the new series frequently uses it as a blueprint to easing viewers into a new take on the show; this is exactly how to introduce a new era. They couldn't have possibly got it more right.

The Autons make for very effective monsters too. There's something rather eery about how their body and facial features resemble that of shop window dummies and Doctor Who is always a show that works well when it turns an everyday inanimate object into a force to be reckoned with. Let's face it: if you haven't seen a shop window dummy at some point in your life, then you haven't been out much. The Autons work so well that despite only featuring in two serials of the classic series (they were also in Terror of the Autons) they have become one of the most iconic Doctor Who monsters of all time appearing in three new series stories (Rose, Love & Monsters, The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang) and even in a LEGO game (LEGO Dimensions). It's one of those monster creations that will survive the test of time. I have no doubt that we'll see an Auton invasion story in the future: perhaps in the Chris Chibnall era.

The Nestene Consciousness unfortunately are not as successful. It looks a bit too rubbery and thanks to Jon Pertwee's bizarre facial expressions during his fight with it doesn't appear like much of a threat. Its new series look was stronger overall.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k6JF9-FKImY/TX9dVyGy7RI/AAAAAAAABdk/dA8PXDcgy5g/s1600/05%2BDefeating%2Bthe%2BNestene.png

https://spdk1.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/doctor-who-2005-nestene.png

Its not entirely fair to compare the two considering that with Spearhead they were operating on a shoestring budget and the new series has much more money but I do wish the classic series had been able to provide a better Nestene Consciousness for Jon Pertwee to fight as it is the only thing that lets the story down. Something more like this from the Terror of the Autons target book would have been preferable:

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/b/b4/Nestene_Consciousness_Target_cropped.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20121109133848

The cast are on top form. Jon Pertwee is amazing in his first appearance as the Doctor, especially when demonstrating how to communicate with your eyebrows on the planet Delphon. Nicholas Courtney is as brilliant as he was in The Invasion as the Brigadier and continues to be a highlight throughout the 3rd Doctor era. Caroline John is extremely convincing as the sceptical scientist tiring of the Brigadier's talk of the extraterrestrial. It's a crime that she generally tends to be forgotten as a companion of the Doctor's.

Overall, Spearhead From Space is a brilliant introduction story to the Jon Pertwee era and features one of the series' most iconic monsters in the Autons. Unfortunately, the Nestene Consciousness are less successful due to budget constraints but the cast are all on top form and due to the decision to exile the Doctor on Earth the character is more relatable than he was prior to the change.

4.5

[SeeingisBelieving]

The Nestene Consciousness unfortunately are not as successful. It looks a bit too rubbery and thanks to Jon Pertwee's bizarre facial expressions during his fight with it doesn't appear like much of a threat. Its new series look was stronger overall.

I found that what spoils the struggle is not Pertwee's gurning but the cries that have been added in post-production.

Actually although I liked Rose in many ways it did bug me that the Terminator 2 influence was very obvious, i.e. the fake Mickey's hands morphing into weapons; the big vat of Nestene gloop just looking exactly like the scene where the T1000 dissolves.

Caroline John is extremely convincing as the sceptical scientist tiring of the Brigadier's talk of the extraterrestrial. It's a crime that she generally tends to be forgotten as a companion of the Doctor's.

Hear hear:).

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Actually although I liked Rose in many ways it did bug me that the Terminator 2 influence was very obvious, i.e. the fake Mickey's hands morphing into weapons; the big vat of Nestene gloop just looking exactly like the scene where the T1000 dissolves.

.

It does make sense to take inspiration from James Cameron though, given he is one of the most respected film directors.

[SeeingisBelieving]

It does make sense to take inspiration from James Cameron though, given he is one of the most respected film directors.

Yeah, and at least Rose doesn't say "Hasta la vista – baby!":D

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Agents of SHIELD: Season Two

Yesterday I reviewed season one of Agents of SHIELD. So how did season two compare?

Well, remarkably well. It was a vast improvement on season one, due to the show no longer having to wait for the release of an MCU film in order to introduce its major season story arc. This time the story arc was introduced from the beginning and the season progressed at a natural pace to the end of it.

Season two saw the origin story of the comicbook superhero Quake, a character who in the comics is called Daisy Johnson (which turns out to be Skye's real name) and becomes the director of SHIELD. In season two of Agents of SHIELD, Skye gains her powers from terrigen mist and becomes an 'Inhuman': human beings who have had their genetic code altered due to failed Kree experiments. Skye is taken to the Afterlife (a peaceful retreat for Inhumans run by Ske's mother Jiaying, played by Dichen Lachman) by Gordon (Jamie Harris): an Inhuman who has the ability to teleport. It is up to Lincoln Campbell (Luke Mitchell) and Jiaying to help Skye control her powers. It was a lovely surprise to see one of the main cast members revealed as a Marvel Comics hero and Skye is a character who makes sense as Daisy Johnson/Quake, especially when her emotions such as sadness and anger are what control her earthquake powers. Skye is a very compassionate character who has had a very troubled past, meaning her powers suit her character nicely. Despite having a different hair cut, she is not too dissimilar to the physical appearance of Quake either and therefore is easily believable as the character.

Chloe Bennet is also one of the strongest actors in the show. If they ever decide to include the TV shows in one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films (such as, say, Infinity War), then they need an actor who will be strong enough to stand alongside the likes of Robert Downey Jnr and Chris Evans. Chloe Bennet, I believe, could do that. At the very least I could imagine her alongside Spider-Man now Marvel are able to use the character in their shared universe. Nick Blood or B.J. Britt (who played Lance Hunter and Trip respectively) wouldn't have had that likeable screen presence to appear alongside Robert Downey Jnr and not be overshadowed, to use two examples who wouldn't have been as wise a choice.

Now we're onto the subject of Tripp, let's discuss his death. Tripp was a largely disposable character so it wasn't really a surprise that the writers decided to kill him off. He was a nice enough character and was written reasonably well but there wasn't anything too special about him that made him stand out. His death still has an impact though as you can see in the following episodes that it has impacted the team, adding real dramatic weight to the discovery of the alien city's ruins. It's a shame they couldn't have shown him doing more but I suppose they needed a character they could easily get rid of to show the consequences of Coulson's actions in solving the mystery of the alien symbols and searching for the city.

One of my favourite things about this season had to be Dichen Lachman's Jiaying. It is a shame that she was killed off as she made for a brilliant villain and it would have been fun to see her return in season three. . You've got to feel sorry for Skye having both a bad mother and father (although Calvin Zabo did redeem himself in the end). Dichen Lachman played Jiaying so brilliantly, at first appearing as the sweet and caring mother but soon revealing her true colours as the selfish and bitter woman she really was. The whole two-part finale of Jiaying leading the Inhumans to war with SHIELD was an epic climax to the season, especially when Skye found out the truth behind Jiaying's lies and subsequently told Lincoln.

That brings me onto another point: Edward James Olmos is brilliant as Robert Gonzales, the director of a second team called SHIELD who were formed out of the members who remained from Hydra's infiltration. His SHIELD formed a fun arc for the season where the two SHIELD teams are in competition with each other until eventually deciding to join forces over the Inhuman threat. It is basically like a lighter version of the Hydra arc; instead of Coulson's SHIELD's decisions being made by director Coulson, Robert Gonzales's decisions are made by a committee of people in a board meeting. They also offer an interesting argument against Coulson's SHIELD though: is it right to carry secrets and lies? Or is it better to be open and honest?

My major problems with SHIELD's second season again concern Fitz and Simmons. They're will-they, won't-they potential romance is still drawn out and not resolved. There's a hint at something when Fitz asks Simmons out for dinner but it never happens due to the stupid cliffhanger ending of Simmons being absorbed into the Monolith. This has to be the most stupid and tacked on ending to any television season or series ever. It doesn't feel natural at all and only feels like it was included to lead into the next season. It's just so random and unexpected and the season would have benefitted more without it.

Overall, the second season of Agents of SHIELD was much stronger than the first with the ongoing season arc introduced much earlier and one of the show's best villains in Jiaying. It is unfortunately spoilt by the lack of resolution to Fitz/Simmons' will-they/won't-they potential romance and a cliffhanger ending that feels tacked on rather than a natural inclusion.

4

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The Invasion

Spearhead From Space may have been the start of the UNIT era of the show but The Invasion was a story the production team designed to foreshadow it. It was basically to Spearhead From Space what Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead is to The Eleventh Hour: introducing audiences to the type of stories that will be told in the upcoming new era. In Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead we're introduced to the notion of time travel playing with the way the Doctor meets people. Then in The Eleventh Hour, we see time travel utilised so the Doctor meets his new companion Amy Pond as a child first, before meeting her as a grown-up companion. In The Invasion, meanwhile, audiences are made familiar with the concept of the Doctor working alongside UNIT to stop alien invasions.

The Invasion sees the Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) arrive in London looking for Travers after being fired at in space by an unknown entity. They arrive at Watkins' house to find model Isobel Watkins (Sally Faulkner), who tells them Travers has moved to America and her father Professor Watkins is staying there instead. It's not long before the TARDIS crew are drawn into a mystery concerning Watkins' mysterious disappearance (he has been missing for weeks). They learn that he works for International Electromatics and the Doctor and Jamie decide to investigate the company. After being gassed by two men watching via a video link, Tobias Vaughn (Kevin Stoney) orders security chief Packer (Peter Halliday) to take them to his office. Before long, the Doctor and Jamie cross paths with UNIT (who are investigating International Electromatics) who they find is led by their friend Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) from The Web of Fear, who is now a Brigadier.

It's a very bold and successful story for the show as despite the fact that it takes four out of eight episodes for the story's monsters to turn up (the Cybermen) it never drags or feels particularly slow. The entire story is immersive and well-paced, especially compared to something like The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood from the new series (which feels slow and drawn-out). I actually would have liked to have seen more second Doctor stories like this as he works extremely well with UNIT. Patrick Troughton and Nicholas Courtney have so much chemistry together and it's a shame Nicholas Courtney didn't appear in more Patrick Troughton serials.

The most noticeable thing about this serial is that it feels as though it's among the higher-budgeted of the classic series serials. Like The Enemy of the World, it has a helicopter but there are also many different locations such as the Watkins' house, Tobias Vaughn's office, UNIT's mobile HQ and the sewers. The serial was also filmed in London, which no doubt would have cost a lot at the time. I'd say most of season six's budget was probably spent on this serial. If so, it definitely shows and it makes it a good serial for any Whovians who have currently only watched the new series but want to give the classic series a go. They won't be as distracted by the shoestring budget as with other serials such as The Invisible Enemy or The Krotons.

The one thing that might put off Whovians who have only seen the new series is something I've already mentioned: the fact it takes four episodes before the Cybermen show up. Personally I would argue this is one of the serial's strong points. The slow build-up invasion is very effective for this serial as it allows the focus to be more on the sinister Tobias Vaughn than if the Cybermen had been in the story from the start and subsequently overshadowed him. Once they do return, it's more than worth the wait. You get some truly iconic shots, such as the Cybermen marching down the steps of St Paul's Cathedral or the Cybermen in the sewers. These are shots that have been a huge inspiration for the new series, with the Cybermen St Paul's Cathedral shot rehashed in Dark Water/Death In Heaven.

It's a shame Sally Faulkener's Isobel Watkins didn't become a companion after this serial as she is brilliant. I would have loved to have seen Isobel travelling in the TARDIS alongside Jamie and Zoe; it would have offered a nice dynamic. Perhaps the second Doctor getting could have got frustrated each time she spends too long deliberating over what to wear before leaving the TARDIS? Whatever they'd have done, Sally Faukener clearly has a lot of chemistry with Wendy Padbury in particular and it is always nice to see a young strong female character (Isobel bravely takes pictures of the Cybermen in the sewers) comparable to a modern day contemporary character than one from the 60s. The classic series did have a good track record for strong female characters - Barbara Wright, for example - and Isobel continued the show's trend at the time to be ahead of its time. Of course, the show's main cast are all on top form in this serial as usual - especially Patrick Troughton when he expresses his annoyance at the answering machine at International Electromatics - and Nicholas Courtney is brilliant but Sally Faulkener steals the show as Isobel Watkins.

Overall, The Invasion is one of the show's best serials to feature the Cybermen. It is expertly paced and features one of Doctor Who's all-time greatest one-off characters in Isobel Watkins. It is a shame that she never became a companion as she is a brilliant character and Sally Faulkener displays a lot of chemistry alongside the show's cast in the story. I looked to see if Big Finish have ever used the character but unfortunately they haven't. Hopefully one day they will as she deserves to return in some form.

5

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Agents of SHIELD - Season Three

Agents of SHIELD Season 3 finished here in the UK last night and what a season it was. Were it not for the fact that a fourth season has been announced this could easily have been a natural end for the show. It saw many four exits from the series (three pretty major) and finally a romance between the show's most beloved scientific couple. I do wonder if this was originally intended to be the last season: did the writers Jed Whedon, Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell write it assuming they wouldn't get a fourth season? Who knows but it would have been a good season to go out on.

Season 3's story arc consisted of the origins of Inhuman villain Hive (Brett Dalton). At the end of last season, we saw Jemma Simmons (Elisabeth Henstridge) absorbed by the Monolith. Season 3 picks up on this plot point and shows that Jemma somehow found herself on an alien planet where she came across stranded astronaut Will Daniels (Dillon Casey). When Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) rescues her using a second Monolith and Daisy's (Chloe Bennet) earthquake powers to turn it into a liquid portal for him to jump through, he is devastated to learn that she began a romantic relationship with Will and wants to rescue him from the planet. As the Monolith had exploded during the rescue of Simmons, the pair work together on a new way to open a portal to the planet. Their paths cross with Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) when Fitz and Simmons are kidnapped by Gideon Malick (Powers Boothe) and Fitz is forced to enter Hydra's portal to the alien planet. There, Fitz discovers that Will is now dead and the Inhuman Hive has possessed his body. Coulson (Clark Gregg) arrives and shoots Ward, only for Hive to take over the body of Ward instead and begin to recruit Inhumans including Daisy by putting them under the Hive influence.

This had to be the most edge-of-your-seat season of the show as of current. There were twist and turns every corner and none of them were predictable. I didn't see Daisy acting under the influence of Hive or Gideon Malick's death. I certainly didn't expect that Will would turn out to be dead when Fitz returned to the planet. . None of the plot twists felt forced or out of character either. They all made sense and not just done for the sake of it.

The emotional stakes were certainly raised too. Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) and Hunter's (Nick Blood) exit in A Spy's Goodbye was surprisingly quite moving if pretty pointless given that Marvel's Most Wanted hasn't been picked up for a series. They were two characters where you didn't realise how much you'd miss them until they were gone. I wouldn't have minded a spinoff with them but personally I'd rather see Bobbi in an MCU film than on a spinoff to Agents of SHIELD given that she is Mockingbird. Lincoln's (Luke Mitchell) death was a sad moment in the season too, especially for such a bland and forgettable character. The emotional impact was largely sold by Chloe Bennet's superb acting than because of Lincoln's merits as a character. You couldn't help but feel sorry for poor Daisy; she always seems to have bad luck with those she falls in love with.

My favourite thing about the season though was how experimental the episode 4,722 Hours was compared to other episodes of the show. The entire episode bar the last five minutes focused on Simmon's time on the alien planet and Clark Gregg doesn't even appear in the episode at all. Yet it works so well precisely because it breaks from the traditional format of the show. It was refreshing to see a Simmons-centric episode ; it doesn't even open with the traditional titles which makes it even more unique as an Agents of SHIELD episode. The episode explored new ground; that of the theme of survival, more akin to the series Arrow than SHIELD. I liked watching Simmons struggle to survive on the planet and I hope season four features more experimental episodes like this. Elisabeth Henstridge is at her best in this episode too; never has she played the role of Jemma quite like she does here.

Another of my favourite things about season three: Hive. Hive was a fantastic villain for the SHIELD Agents to face and in my opinion one of the best MCU villains to date. It's amazing how Brett Dalton plays both Ward and Hive; both have subtle differences and neither seem too similar to the other. He effortlessly plays them both and it's a shame both Hive and Ward are now dead. Hive feels like a fitting challenge for the agents and it was hard at times to see just how can they stop him - which made it all the more fun to watch. In both the comics and Agents of SHIELD, Hive is effectively a drug or parasite, meaning that when characters are under the influence on it it's basically the equivalent of if you took cocaine or a similarly illegal drug. This creation in Marvel Comics is a very dark and original idea for a supervillain and one that worked extremely well in a modern setting when introduced into the MCU via SHIELD. Drug abuse is a very current problem in the world, after all. My only problem with Hive is that its true form looked a bit too similar to Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies:

https://www.expertcomics.com/images/articles_enr_01/9430682_agents-of-shield-brings-the-action--hive_ta3a5974f.jpg

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/pirates/images/b/b7/Kraken_attacks_18_Davy_Jones.png/revision/latest?cb=20100604162948

It's a shame they couldn't have used a more unique design. Even in the comics he looks a little different to Pirates' Davy Jones:

http://static2.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11127/111276358/5143740-hv8.png

The six months later scene didn't quite work for me either. Like the Monolith sequence in season two, it felt a bit too forced and tacked on to be anything other than a scene engineered to get people talking. It didn't feel natural at all and raised far too many questions that don't really make sense. Why would Daisy become a goth? Why would she be on the run from SHIELD? Why would she even leave SHIELD? It seems a little out of character given that SHIELD's the only true family she's ever known (Cal and Jiaying weren't exactly good parents to her). Why would Coulson step down as director of SHIELD? He IS SHIELD. Unless they can get Samuel L Jackson back at some point, I don't see the point in Coulson no longer being director.

It was nice to finally see Fitz and Simmons become a couple this season though. This was a relationship that had been teased too much and frustratingly never really got anywhere. It took far too long to get these two characters to a point where they are romantically linked. I hope they keep the pair together and don't try to split them up as they really are perfect for each other and their romantic relationship is one of the strongest points of the show. Hopefully we'll see them get married at the end of season four. The perfect way to end the show if the next season ends up being the last for me would be Fitz and Simmons driving off into the sunset in Coulson's flying car Lola. Let's have a happy ending for Agents of SHIELD please and see the show end on a high.

Overall, season three was probably the strongest season of the show so far. It featured some emotional agent departures, one of the best MCU villains in Hive and finally Fitz and Simmons becoming a romantic couple. The entire cast were at their very best too: Clark Gregg brilliant as a Coulson filled with a thirst for revenge towards Ward, Chloe Bennet great at playing a Daisy under the influence of Hive, Elisabeth Henstridge phenomenal at a Jemma Simmons who has spent ages trapped on an alien planet fighting for her survival and of course Brett Dalton as both Ward and Hive providing two excellent performances that contain enough subtle differences to be identifiable as two separate characters. My only problems with this season are the awful tacked on 'six months later' segment and Hive's uncanny resemblance to Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean in his true form.

4.5

[SeeingisBelieving]

In The Invasion, meanwhile, audiences are made familiar with the concept of the Doctor working alongside UNIT to stop alien invasions.

The idea was happening even with The War Machines.

I actually would have liked to have seen more second Doctor stories like this as he works extremely well with UNIT. Patrick Troughton and Nicholas Courtney have so much chemistry together and it's a shame Nicholas Courtney didn't appear in more Patrick Troughton serials.

Yeah, I love Jon Pertwee but it would have been nice to see Troughton and Hines, if not also Padbury, do that first year on Earth in colour.

The serial was also filmed in London, which no doubt would have cost a lot at the time. I'd say most of season six's budget was probably spent on this serial. If so, it definitely shows and it makes it a good serial for any Whovians who have currently only watched the new series but want to give the classic series a go. They won't be as distracted by the shoestring budget as with other serials such as The Invisible Enemy or The Krotons.

Perhaps so – the location filming does take it to another level.

It's a shame Sally Faulkener's Isobel Watkins didn't become a companion after this serial as she is brilliant.

She was very good.

I can't believe you've not mentioned Kevin Stoney here, though¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Yeah, I love Jon Pertwee but it would have been nice to see Troughton and Hines, if not also Padbury, do that first year on Earth in colour.
Also: UNIT having to cover up Jamie's odd reactions to modern-at-the-time technology. :D

She was very good.

I can't believe you've not mentioned Kevin Stoney here, though¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Oh, so I didn't. I have no idea why because Kevin Stoney is one of my favourite classic series Doctor Who villians as Tobias Vaughn. The new series has never really come close to him.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Also: UNIT having to cover up Jamie's odd reactions to modern-at-the-time technology. :D

:lol: Yeah, that would have been good. I can see the Brig's face now.

Oh, so I didn't. I have no idea why because Kevin Stoney is one of my favourite classic series Doctor Who villians as Tobias Vaughn. The new series has never really come close to him.

Yeah, and Mavic Chen was good too. He was funny when he was playing the Vogan in Revenge of the Cybermen as well, which is a nice tie-in to this story really.

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The Mutant Phase

The Mutant Phase was one of the best free gifts given away with Doctor Who Adventures (the children's Doctor Who magazine) back when I was a child. Of course, it was also released separately from the magazine through Big Finish as a slightly longer version (the DWA take is cut down) but it was a nice change from the free notebooks and pens.

The Mutant Phase sees the Doctor (Peter Davison) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) find themselves trapped in a time corridor where they find out the Daleks are mutating into something due to an infection. Meanwhile, they find themselves at the mercy of some dangerous wasps who have been made more aggressive by a pesticide chemical.

One of the things I like about this serial is the decision by writer Nicholas Briggs to have the companion (in this case Nyssa) be infected by the illness/mutation of the serial. She actually becomes infected pretty early on, when she is stung by a wasp in the 42nd century. It's a great move by Nicholas Briggs as it raises the personal stakes for the Doctor and eliminates the problem of 'Oh, the Doctor and his companion will always be safe because it's not the main series'. I wish TV Doctor Who would put the Doctor and his companion into peril like this; whilst I love the main series, there are very rare examples where it feels as though the companion is in as much danger as the supporting cast.

It's also nice to see the Daleks infected by the Mutant Phase. It's great to hear these powerful, booming hate machines become weak and vulnerable towards what is basically a disease. In fact, you almost feel sorry for them - especially when it makes the Daleks basically mindless. We're too used to seeing the Daleks as being the powerful evil species they are so its nice for it to be stripped back to reveal what the Daleks would be like if they weren't in control.

It's amazing how Nicholas Briggs manages to achieve different voices with the Daleks and the Dalek Emperor too. The Dalek Emperor sounds has a much more booming and God-like voice compared to the more robotic metallic Dalek voices. It's the same with the new series too; you never feel like you're just watching or listening to another Dalek with the Dalek Emperor but he has his own distinguishable voice despite being voiced by the same person.

The great thing with these audio dramas is that the main cast never sound like the actual age they are now. It's like listening to a lost classic series serial. Peter Davison sounds perfect as his Doctor despite now being in his 50s when this was recorded and Sarah Sutton doesn't sound any older either (this was recorded in the early 2000s) even though two decades had passed since she was in the show with Peter Davison. You would never convince the audience on TV that they are in their 30s and 20s but on audio on the other hand it's harder to believe they were in their 50s and 40s here.

Overall, The Mutant Phase is a magnificent Doctor Who audio drama and one that any Whovian should listen to whether they have listened to Big Finish before or not. It features incredible performances from Nicholas Briggs, Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison, the latter which convince you they are much younger than their ages at the time of recording. I do wonder how it went down at the time with other kids who bought Doctor Who Adventures though. Did they dismiss it because it was audio or did they give it a go and find they actually enjoyed it? I'm really not sure.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

The great thing with these audio dramas is that the main cast never sound like the actual age they are now. It's like listening to a lost classic series serial. Peter Davison sounds perfect as his Doctor despite now being in his 50s when this was recorded and Sarah Sutton doesn't sound any older either (this was recorded in the early 2000s) even though two decades had passed since she was in the show with Peter Davison. You would never convince the audience on TV that they are in their 30s and 20s but on audio on the other hand it's harder to believe they were in their 50s and 40s here.

I held off listening to the Peter Davison audios for a long time because I was sure he'd sound too old. When I finally listened to Primeval, he obviously sounded more mature but I soon got the hang of that and it was fine. On occasion he didn't sound far off what he was like on TV. The best matches really, especially at the beginning of the audios, were Colin Baker and McCoy. I think Baker's voice has matured more since.

I do wonder how it went down at the time with other kids who bought Doctor Who Adventures though. Did they dismiss it because it was audio or did they give it a go and find they actually enjoyed it? I'm really not sure.]

Yeah, that is interesting. I couldn't believe how good they were when I started listening with Sword of Orion, but I soon discovered that that particular audio was quite simplistic as the soundscapes went. The Stones of Venice was incredible – it was like listening to a film.

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I held off listening to the Peter Davison audios for a long time because I was sure he'd sound too old. When I finally listened to Primeval, he obviously sounded more mature but I soon got the hang of that and it was fine. On occasion he didn't sound far off what he was like on TV. The best matches really, especially at the beginning of the audios, were Colin Baker and McCoy. I think Baker's voice has matured more since.
I'd agree that Colin Baker sounds more mature but he still sounds incredibly similar to how he did all those years ago. Sylvester McCoy's and Tom Baker's voices on the other hand haven't really changed.



Yeah, that is interesting. I couldn't believe how good they were when I started listening with Sword of Orion, but I soon discovered that that particular audio was quite simplistic as the soundscapes went. The Stones of Venice was incredible – it was like listening to a film.

I always thought it was a strange gift to give with Doctor Who Adventures. Definitely their best free gift though.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I'd agree that Colin Baker sounds more mature but he still sounds incredibly similar to how he did all those years ago.

Yeah he does.

Sylvester McCoy's and Tom Baker's voices on the other hand haven't really changed.

Tom Baker does sound a bit more creaky, shall we say! But I don't think McCoy's voice has aged that noticeably. I'd probably notice the difference if I compared a new audio story to one of the older ones.

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Underdog

There have been many instances where dogs have performed heroic acts either on behalf of their owners or someone else. One dog called Brutis, for example, snatched a cobra snake away from a child and promptly saved the young kid's life. Another - a black labrador called Katrina - saved a man who was drowning in rising flood waters during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. So it makes sense to make a film about a dog who's literally a superhero.

Underdog was based on a 1960s cartoon by the same name and told the story of the titular dog superhero Underdog. The film tells the tale of the dog's origin - when a beagle (Jason Lee) from a police bomb squad runs away when he accidentally sets off a false alarm during the mayor's (John Slattery) speech, he is kidnapped by a guy called Cad (Patrick Warburton) who takes him to his 'partner' (as he likes to call his boss) Simon's (Peter Dinklage) lab. The beagle tries to escape and in the process knocks over a lot of chemicals, accidentally giving himself the power to fly, super strength, invulnerability and speech. When he is hit by a car driven by security guard Dan Unger (James Belushi) and given to his son Jack (Alex Neuberger). Later he adopts the superhero alias 'Underdog' to take on numerous crimes in the city before stopping Simon's evil plan to to blow up the City Hall with a bomb that forces whoever breathes the chemical it lets off to do anything he says. The main problem with this film is that there's nothing very memorable about it. It's just your typical kid's movie fare and there's nothing in it to satisfy older audiences. Whilst it is cute to see a superhero dog, it is not enough to hold your interest in the movie.

It's also a very lazy idea. Underdog is basically just a dog version of Superman; with a cartoon you can get away with it because you know they're not supposed to be taken seriously. With a live-action film though you expect a production team to put more thought and effort into creating something original, therefore it stands out more if the main character is a copy of something else. Even if you treat the cartoon as a serious form of television, Krypton the Superdog makes more sense as a dog clone of Superman anyway because - well, he's Superman's dog. Making Underdog in this film so close to Superman is just lazy; he even has a big 'U' on his chest similar to Superman's 'S' symbol. They couldn't have made the comparison any more obvious.

Then you've got the villain Simon, whose last name is 'Sinister'. I mean, seriously: a villain called Simon SINISTER? Did they really need to make it so obvious that he's evil? It feels nothing short than patronising to tell us he is so rather than let us as the audience make our own minds up. It comes across as though the production team were scared the audience would root for him and thought 'We better make his surname 'sinister'. They needn't have bothered really because Simon's an evil villain caricature anyway.

One thing that the film does have going for it though is that Underdog is well voiced by Jason Lee. His voice feels natural for the character and never out of place. This is something that Disney tend to excel in; I can't think of one instance in fact where they have got the voice acting wrong (be it live-action as with this film or animation). Unlike DreamWorks, they seem to cast based on who's the right fit for the voice rather than on star talent.

I can also imagine a lot of children enjoying this film. The plot is very cartoony, so whilst it might not hold older audiences' attention its bound to entertain kids. I watched this film when I was about 14 or 15 so maybe this movie is aimed more at the 8-11 age range. It's not annoying or a terribly thought up plot like Alvin and the Chipmunks, it's just a very cliche one. It plays both to your typical family movie (character makes a mistake, is abandoned, meets new family, learns meaning of friendship, saves the day) and the superhero genre (character ends up in an accident of some sort where he gains superpowers, takes on an alias, fights crime, stops the supervillain), making it a very predictable movie. It basically plays it too safe and it would have been nice to see the film both take more risks and appeal more to an older audience.

Even if you look at superhero films, whilst they do follow the genre conventions they don't stick religiously to the superhero formula. Thor is a fish-out-of-water story. Captain America: The First Avenger is a war movie. Guardians of the Galaxy is a space opera. They offer something new and different to the superhero genre whilst also showing the stuff people want to see. You want to see Thor battle Loki, Captain America fight Red Skull and Peter Quill's team of Guardians take on Ronan the Accuser. Equally however you have Thor having to adjust to the differences between 21st Century Earth and Asgard, Captain America in World War 2 and a raccoon with a machine gun...in space. Underdog's only unique angle in that it's a canine superhero fighting crime and even that's been done before.

Overall, Underdog isn't a bad film it's just a pretty average one. It doesn't add anything unique to the superhero genre and as a family movie it fails to deliver anything to older audiences. It's also not very original either; Underdog is basically a dog version of Superman and the villain Simon has the surname Sinister, in case you somehow failed to notice he's evil. However it's probably an entertaining movie for its target audience of young children and the titular character is perfectly voiced by Jason Lee.

3

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The Dalek Extermination of Earth

I have a certain fondness for the LEGO games, so when I found out LEGO were going to be taking on my favourite TV series as part of LEGO Dimensions I was more than a little excited. Especially when it turned out Doctor Who would be getting a level pack - a level that's designed to show what a LEGO game based on the franchise would look like by providing a level. There's no better time to review the Doctor Who level pack than now, when LEGO Dimensions are about to announce new content for the game.

As you would expect for a LEGO game, the story's pretty basic so there's no complex paradoxes here. The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) arrives in a future London where the Daleks have launched a wide invasion. In order to stop the Dalek invasion, he must travel back to Victorian and 2015 London (where a familiar junkyard can be found) before using a teleporter in future London to arrive on the Dalek spaceship and fight Davros (Julian Bleach). What's really cool with this story is how it combines a classic series feel with a new series vibe. You basically have the timey wimey element of the Moffat era with a plot that bares obvious similarities to The Dalek Invasion of Earth (which the game developer Traveller's Tales lovingly poke fun at themselves with by calling it 'The Dalek Extermination of Earth'). This kind of feels like how that classic 1964 serial would have looked like if it had been a LEGO animation with a big budget. Obviously Davros wouldn't have been included considering he wasn't introduced until Genesis of the Daleks but apart from that you could imagine this is what the production team would have gone for with LEGO's resources.

There are so many nice references to the show throughout this videogame level too, such as the I.M. Foreman junkyard and all the Doctors in the LEGO recreation of the current title sequence. Davros even appears in his Remembrance of the Daleks look. There is no doubt about it that Traveller's Tales are massive fans of the show. One moment that many other Whovians like myself are sure to love is when you have to rescue Clara Oswald from a K1 Robot from Tom Baker's debut serial as the Doctor 'Robot'.

LEGO is the perfect fit for Doctor Who too. The LEGO games often rely on puzzle solving and this is fitting with the TV series. The show does, after all, encourage the use of brains over brawn in order to solve situations. It's probably the best way to do a Doctor Who game that feels appropriate for the show. One part of the game requires you to move the Doctor around a Pac-Man style maze and hit four red buttons in order to hack a computer terminal. It may sound odd written like this but these Pac-Man mazes offer a lot of fun and variety to the gameplay, which some would argue the LEGO games need after using their successful formula for so long.

The most amazing thing about the Doctor Who level pack, however, is that not only do you get a level but you get every incarnation of the Doctor. That's right: as well as Peter Capaldi you get William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and even John Hurt. Each Doctor has their respective TARDIS console rooms too. William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton's are in black and white! This is only a small portion of the LEGO Dimensions game but the attention to detail is incredible. The Adventure World (basically, a hub world) itself has Present Day London, Skaro, Mars, Trenzalore and even the Cybermen's second home planet Telos.

Every voice actor used for the characters is from the series too. Peter Capaldi voices the Doctor, Jenna Coleman is Clara, Michelle Gomez is Missy, Julian Bleach plays Davros, Nicholas Briggs voices the Daleks and Cybermen, Neve McIntosh voices Vastra, Dan Starkey is Strax and they even have John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. This allows for a very authentic take on the TV series, meaning it actually feels like playing in the world of the TV show recreated in LEGO. Even the other Doctors have voice clips taken from the TV series, when they could easily have been left mute like other characters in the game such as Bart Simpson.

Overall, The Dalek Extermination of Earth is a brilliant LEGO Doctor Who level pack for the fantastic game LEGO Dimensions and one any Whovian should buy. It's an authentic LEGO take on the series full of many fan references and voiced by actors from the show. The gameplay is relevant to the series' theme of brain over brawn and the story nicely acknowledges the classic series serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth. I hope at some point we get a fully-fledged Doctor Who videogame or at the very least some more NFC minifigures (Strax has seemingly leaked out as one who will be playable at some point) as it would be a shame if this and the Cyberman fun pack were to be the only LEGO Doctor Who videogame content.

5

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LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Harry Potter was announced for LEGO Dimensions today and seeing as I reviewed LEGO Doctor Who (The Dalek Extermination of Earth) it only makes sense now to look at LEGO Harry Potter. Specifically, the first LEGO Harry Potter videogame with the movies' storylines was released. The game I played was for the Nintendo DS, so I will be referring to the handheld game console version rather than the home console take on the franchise.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 followed Harry's first four years at Hogwarts, from Hagrid dropping Harry off at the Dursleys to Cedric Diggory's death in Goblet of Fire. It was the first game to introduce magic to the LEGO series as a gameplay mechanic but contrary to belief, it wasn't the first LEGO Harry Potter videogame. Two Harry Potter videogames were released as part of the LEGO Creator series; a series where players created LEGO environments and minifigures. The Travellers' Tales LEGO Harry Potter series is the more fondly remembered though and quite right too.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 was released before voices in LEGO games were introduced and it worked well for this particular license. There's a certain charm to the miming that isn't present in the voiced games. It's fun to see Professor Quirrell/Lord Voldemort miming his annoyance at Harry finding the Philosopher's stone in his pocket. It also brings out a lot of Traveller's Tales' humour (important when the narrative of the LEGO game follows the films as opposed to providing a standalone story). I particularly loved seeing Lord Voldemort wearing Harry Potter's glasses during a Goblet of Fire cutscene. The miming would have no doubt made it easier for translating the games to non-English speaking countries so it is a surprise that they eventually decided to introduce voices as the miming works remarkably well.

Whilst the characters don't speak, the game is the first LEGO videogame to introduce written dialogue. This type of dialogue has since returned in LEGO Dimensions' Simpsons hub world due to Twentieth Century Fox's restrictions imposed on the Simpsons license and it's a nice compromise for when voices aren't an option. I like being able to tap Vernon Dursley and reading his speech or seeing what Percy Weasley has to say. It doesn't quite work in a LEGO videogame like LEGO Dimensions where majority of the characters are voiced but in a game where everything is mimed it's refreshing to see some dialogue by the characters.


The spells are a great addition to the LEGO videogame formula too. I particularly find casting Wingardium Leviosa (the levitating spell) fun, but it's nice being able to cast Lumos (the spell for casting light) and of course Expecto Patronum (repelling Dementors). Casting spells is executed nicely with the DS version, where you use the touch screen to trace a given shape across the screen. It's a great way of utilising the Nintendo DS's features rather than simply making it a carbon copy of the PSP version. Not so successful with the touch screen is the idiotic decision to make it so you have to tap on the screen to jump. It just feels clumsy and I would much rather have been able to press one of the buttons to jump. Why would you even make that a touch screen control? It makes no sense.

The hub world is also a bit limited. You only get one small area to walk around - the Room of Requirement - and there isn't really a lot to do other than play/freeplay the levels and create your own character. Whilst I do understand that there is hardware limitations with the DS compared to the PS3 it is a shame they couldn't have included some quests to complete. Since the DS version of LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4, hub worlds on handheld LEGO games have improved though - although I've yet to play it, it was announced that the 3DS version of LEGO Marvel's Avengers has New York as a full-fledged videogame hub comparable to the console versions - so Traveller's Tales have learnt since their early handheld games.

Overall, LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 is a charming LEGO videogame; it utilises spell-casting with the Nintendo DS's touch screen abilities extremely well and the miming was always one of the highlights of the early LEGO videogames. I also like the inclusion of written dialogue that provides a refresher from the mimed pieces. However, the idea to make jumping a touch screen mechanic was an extremely stupid one and the hub world is a bit too limited in its approach. It was a strong start for Traveller's Tales LEGO Harry Potter though and there's a reason why people remember their LEGO Harry Potter games over EA's LEGO Creator Harry Potter series.

4

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Planet of the Dead

The most notable thing about the Doctor Who special Planet of the Dead is that it is the first Doctor Who episode to be shot on HD. Whilst The Next Doctor is included as part of the Bluray release, it is an upscale rather than an actual High Definition picture. It is also the first story of the new series to be credited to two writers - Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts. Neither are on top form here though.

In Planet of the Dead, thief Lady Christina De Souza (Michelle Ryan) steals the Cup of Athelstan from a museum and makes her getaway on a London bus, where she meets the Doctor (David Tennant). The bus passes through a wormhole and ends up on the planet San Helios: a planet that has become a vast wasteland since being invaded by a bunch of flying alien stingrays. The bus driver and passengers must learn to survive on this planet whilst the Doctor and Christina search for a way back. Nothing particularly memorable happens (other than a fun sequence clearly inspired by Mission Impossible where Christina drops down the Tritivore ship's (which crash landed on the planet) engine shaft on a winch in an attempt to claim a crystal used to power the sup and a pair of anti-gravity clamps) but this isn't by any means a bad story. It just doesn't stand out, especially when bookmarked by great episodes like The Next Doctor and The Water of Mars.

It's a shame given it was aired during a period for the show when there wasn't much Doctor Who on TV (although there has been much less Doctor Who this year than there was back then). When there's only four episodes, the quality needs to be significantly higher and this episode didn't quite live up to the expectations you would expect from a special Doctor Who episode. It's neither Russell T Davies or Gareth Roberts' best work; having said that, it's not as bad as their respective weakest episodes Love & Monsters or The Caretaker.

The surprising thing about this episode is how forgettable the episode's alien species are. The stingrays are just your generic mindless alien menace, whilst the Tritivores don't do a great deal other than stand about chirping. You have to give credit to costume designer Louise Page because the Tritivore design is brilliant and I fully believe they would have been more popular if they had been given both more to do and more of a personality. We aren't really given much reason to care about them or see their stance on anything.

It was a great idea by the BBC to have an Easter Special of the show though and it is something I wish they had made a regular part of the show like the Christmas Special. There's something about the idea of a Doctor Who Easter Special that really works; maybe it's the fact that some compare the Doctor's regeneration to resurrection and therefore draw religious connotations to the source material but it just feels right. And the Doctor eating an Easter Egg is pretty cool (or is that just me?).

I also like Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina De Souza. Lady Christina De Souza has to be one of my all-time favourite one-off Doctor Who characters and one that really should have been a companion. Michelle Ryan's portrayal made me wish the Doctor to agree to invite her onboard at the end of the story. In fact, a series with the Doctor travelling with a burgaler would have had great potential; I could imagine their relationship being similar to Batman and Catwoman in DC's iconic Batman comics, where they typically have a love/hate relationship. Whilst Batman disapproves of Catwoman's burglaries he is often found working alongside her and there's even been a romance hinted between the two characters. It would have been entertaining to see the Doctor and his companion have a similar relationship (although admittedly it may have been a little similar to River Song).

David Tennant has a lot of chemistry with Michelle Ryan, so it was a shame they didn't work together more. They naturally bounce off each other throughout Planet of the Dead and the chemistry is nearly comparable to David Tennant with Catherine Tate. Hopefully Big Finish may give them a Tenth Doctor Adventures series between Planet of the Dead and The Water of Mars where the Doctor changes his mind about not inviting her to travel with him as I'd love to hear the pair back together again. Pretty much anything could have happened during the Special's gaps, after all.

Overall, Planet of the Dead is a pretty average episode of the show and not a great example of Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts' writing. The Tritivores and Stingrays are forgettable Doctor Who monsters, despite a great costume design for the former. It was a great idea by the BBC to make an Easter Special though and Michelle Ryan makes for a brilliant one-off companion in Lady Christina De Souza. David Tennant and Michelle Ryan have a lot of chemistry and it's a shame they didn't get a series together.

3

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Grey Gardens

You could say the 1975 film Grey Gardens and the BBC's 1974 documentary The Family were ahead of their time, given it was a documentary in the reality genre that is so prominent today. Equally, you could also say it was the beginning of an abomination for the Media Industry that saw the likes of The Only Way Is Essex and Made In Chelsea emerge onto the scene. My stance is on the latter and I really don't understand why this film became such an inspiration for terrible reality television shows.

The film follows the lives of eccentric old mother Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie, who live together in a rundown mansion in New York. I say 'eccentric' but it's not really the fun kind of 'eccentric', it's just the pair doing a lot of weird things that don't really make sense. You can tell the director Ellen Hovde is trying to manipulate the footage so we think 'OMG, they're so funny' but it just doesn't work and it feels like the poor ladies are being exploited for entertainment when they may need medical attention for their odd behaviour. Maybe they even have a mental disability of some sort that affects their behaviour? I'm not entirely sure shoving a camera in their faces was right to do.

It's not even like the material is interesting. The entire film is boring because nothing really happens and I'm not sure why I should care about these two over other people they could have filmed. It's not even like they seem representative of the film's audience; they're too lost in their own world for that. They're simply a poor choice of subjects; personally I would rather have seen the life of Ellen Hovde; it would have been a lot more interesting to watch a film director's day-to-day life working on the production of a feature-length film. In fact, that would make for a much better ITV reality series than the dreadful Only Way Is Essex. ITV, if you are reading this and you decide to use my idea: I want royalties.

The biggest crime this film makes is going on for too long. There's one hour and thirty four minutes of this ****; during that running length, you're lucky if you don't fall asleep. The film feels dragged out over this running length and it would have worked better as a one hour one-off television special. I don't even know why you'd decide to make this a movie.

Ever wanted to see a Don't Tell The Bride film?

No?

Thought not.

There's a reason why reality shows aren't feature films and that's because they're tacky, cheap to produce content that really don't hold up as movies. The only exception is I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, which I absolutely love and is certainly not cheap given the use of Ant & Dec as presenters and the Bushtucker Trials. Even I'm A Celebrity wouldn't work as a film though, unless they adapted it into an original screenplay about Chris Pratt taking on snakes in an underground coffin whilst trying to earn meals in an apocalyptic wasteland ruled by Ant & Dec. By which point, it has somewhat deviated from the source material of the TV series.

Overall, Grey Gardens is boring reality trash that wrongfully exposes its subjects for the sake of entertainment when they may have a mental disability which influences their odd behaviour. This abomination should never have been a film. There's a reason why 'I'm A Celebrity...The Movie' doesn't exist and that's because reality television does not lend itself to the movie format. If you desperately need sleep, then watch this movie. Otherwise, stay awake and don't bother.

0

[SeeingisBelieving]

this isn't by any means a bad story. It just doesn't stand out, especially when bookmarked by great episodes like The Next Doctor and The Water of Mars.

I thought that at the time. It was a fun runaround. Not terrible, not amazing.

The Caretaker.

That was lousy.

whilst the Tritivores don't do a great deal other than stand about chirping. You have to give credit to costume designer Louise Page because the Tritivore design is brilliant and I fully believe they would have been more popular if they had been given both more to do and more of a personality. We aren't really given much reason to care about them or see their stance on anything.

I remember quite liking the Tritivores. The stingray things just reminded me of Pitch Black.

In fact, a series with the Doctor travelling with a burgaler would have had great potential

You know this is basically taken from the character that would have replaced Ace, don't you?:)

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I remember quite liking the Tritivores. The stingray things just reminded me of Pitch Black.
The design was brilliant, the execution on the other hand was poor.

You know this is basically taken from the character that would have replaced Ace, don't you?:)
Yes, I heard about that. It's a shame it has never been used as a companion idea; I'd love to see the Doctor's morals tested by having him travel with a thief.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Yes, I heard about that. It's a shame it has never been used as a companion idea; I'd love to see the Doctor's morals tested by having him travel with a thief.

Yeah, Raine Creevey was the character. I've only heard Thin Ice of the "Season 27" audios Big Finish did, which I liked well enough, so I've not heard Raine yet. But that was about four years ago and I'm not sure I ever will:p.

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The Ark In Space

The Ark In Space is arguably a Doctor Who serial that has had some influence over the 2005 revival. It was the first serial to have a setting - the Nerva Beacon - which the Doctor returns to later in the series to find one of his major enemies - the Cybermen in Revenge of the Cybermen - have appeared. Fast forward to 2005 and the Doctor arrives on Satellite Five in The End of the World, then in The Long Game and finally returns in Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways to find the Daleks are behind the 'Game Station' (Satellite Five's new name) company the 'Bad Wolf Corporation'.

The Doctor's initial appearance on The Ark In Space is quite simply brilliant. The Doctor (Tom Baker) arrives with his companions on the Nerva Beacon after Harry (Ian Marter) gave the helmic regulator 'quite a twist'. Pressing a switch, Harry accidentally traps Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) in a control room with little oxygen. Sarah recovers on a couch she finds and is teleported into a chamber, where she is placed in cryogenic suspension among future survivors of the human race. One of the humans awakes - Vira (Wendy Williams) - and begins reviving Sarah and the others. They soon discover a Wiirn invasion onboard the ship and the TARDIS crew work to stop it before beaming down to future Earth for the next serial The Sontaran Experiment.

Whilst yes, the bubblewrap is clearly bubblewrap on Noah's (Kenton Moore) hand the special effects in this serial are generally very impressive for a shoestring budget. It's amazing how they managed to create the human suspension chamber room on such a minuscule amount of money:
https://georgesjournal.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/doctor_who_the_ark_in_space_tom_baker_and_ian_marter.jpg
It is hugely convincing and to me even rivals some of the production sets on the new series. Even the shot of the Nerva Beacon in space is visually impressive:
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/b/b4/Nerva_Beacon.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141029171553
I have no idea why they decided this serial needed replacement effects on the DVD releases because it's on the higher end in terms of the classic series' special effects. There are much worse classic series effects that didn't get replacement ones if they really needed to create replacement CGI effects for classic series serials.

The monsters of this serial are equally brilliant. The Wiirn is a great idea; they are basically intergalactic vermin who have sabotaged the base whilst the humans have been asleep. However as they are from space they are more intelligent than your standard vermin and have the capability to talk. Their insectoid look like all the best Doctor Who monsters makes them appear closer to home and the idea that these creatures could sabotage the surrounding environment whilst you are asleep is a generally unnerving one. I could imagine many kids after this serial aired probably went to bed worried that the Wiirn would appear and try to sabotage the electronics.

I love the Doctor and Harry Sullivan's relationship with each other here too. It's definitely Tom Baker at his best. They clearly have a somewhat fractious friendship (in fact, I'd say there's rivalry between them over Sarah - not in a romantic way though) but deep down you can tell the Doctor cares about Harry (even if he is a bit of a dick to him at times, especially during the helmic regulator line). Ian Marter does well with the material he is given, however it's never particularly strong compared to the stuff Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen are given to say. The problem with Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan is that he just feels like he's there. This is likely because they wrote his character thinking somebody older than Tom Baker would be playing the Doctor and that there would need to be an Ian Chesterton-style character to take part in the action sequences this Doctor wouldn't be able to do. Tom Baker was cast and the rest is history.

I do really like Kenton Moore as Noah too. You really feel for him when he discovers his hand has turned green, signifying his slow metamorphosis into Wiirn kind. He appears like a tragic figure, despite his rather antagonistic behaviour towards the TARDIS crew. As I said earlier: yes, it's bubblewrap but who cares? Who says bubblewrap can't be deadly? By using your imagination, that bubblewrap in your house could easily be signs of a Wiirn infection.

Overall, The Ark In Space is a classic series serial with brilliant monsters in the Wiirn and impressive special effects for the classic series. It also features great companion chemistry between Tom Baker and Ian Marter as the Doctor and Harry Sullivan and an amazing performance by Kenton Moore as the tragic Noah. If you never watch this classic Doctor Who serial, then you must be in cryogenic suspension.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Whilst yes, the bubblewrap is clearly bubblewrap on Noah's (Kenton Moore) hand

I remember reading that, at the time, bubblewrap was a pretty new invention and so wouldn't have been that familiar. Also, people are right when they talk about Kenton Moore's use of the 'glove' in making the scenes with Noah's mutated hand very disturbing and alien.

Their insectoid look like all the best Doctor Who monsters makes them appear closer to home

It's funny actually that the Wirrn costumes aren't even as sophisticated as the Zarbi:)! I remember thinking that the Mutts of The Mutants were what the Zarbi could have looked like if done better.

Close to home can be good, i.e. the giant maggots of The Green Death, but I think when you have aliens who just have an animal's head on an actor's body it doesn't look that great, and harks back to the primitive science fiction of classics like Flash Gordon. At least in Survival there was a more interesting reason for the Cheetah People than that.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I keep meaning to mention — are we the only Doctor Who fans on Movie Forums :p:rolleyes:? It seems like it's just you and me talking about it.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I remember reading that, at the time, bubblewrap was a pretty new invention and so wouldn't have been that familiar.
That's a good point. Now you mention it, I think it was mentioned on one of the documentaries on the Special Edition DVD.
Also, people are right when they talk about Kenton Moore's use of the 'glove' in making the scenes with Noah's mutated hand very disturbing and alien.
Yes, it's very effective. I like how the Philip Hinchcliffe era pushes the boundaries with what the show could get away with too. The body horror with Noah's hand and later his face are among my favourite classic series scenes.

It's funny actually that the Wirrn costumes aren't even as sophisticated as the Zarbi:)! I remember thinking that the Mutts of The Mutants were what the Zarbi could have looked like if done better.
I actually think the Wiirn look alright, although a new series update of their look would be nice if they were ever to return. At one point I would have doubted a Wiirn new series appearance but after the Zygons returned in Day of the Doctor and became a recurring threat, I think if a future showrunner was to feel that strongly about bringing them back it could happen (providing there's a good story to be told, of course).


Close to home can be good, i.e. the giant maggots of The Green Death, but I think when you have aliens who just have an animal's head on an actor's body it doesn't look that great, and harks back to the primitive science fiction of classics like Flash Gordon. At least in Survival there was a more interesting reason for the Cheetah People than that.
I think Russell T Davies is the best at the 'close to home' approach to be honest. The Judoon, for example, have become among the new series' most iconic creations and I think a lot of it is due to their resemblance to rhinos - whilst it's unlikely any of us see rhinos on a day to day basis most of the audience will have seen them at a zoo at some point and even if you haven't, we're all familiar with what a rhino looks like.

I keep meaning to mention — are we the only Doctor Who fans on Movie Forums :p:rolleyes:? It seems like it's just you and me talking about it.
I'm not sure, although I wouldn't be too surprised if we are. There aren't many movie connections to Doctor Who other than the Peter Cushing films, TV Movie and arguably Day of the Doctor and Deep Breath.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Mamma Mia

I don't think there has ever been a Eurovision winner quite like ABBA. They have produced some of the world's most memorable songs, from Money, Money, Money to Thank You For The Music. It's no surprise that somebody decided to turn them into a musical; a film version was also inevitable.

Mamma Mia is set on a greek island, where broke mother Donna's (Meryl Streep) daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to get married to Sky (Dominic Cooper) and wants her father to be at the wedding. The problem is, she doesn't know which man out of three is her Dad. In order to find out, she sends invitations to them all and the three potential fathers arrive for her wedding.

I don't usually like romantic comedies but in my eyes this is a fun, good-natured exception to the usual tacky romcoms. It helps that it adds something new by combining it with the musical genre; the ABBA songs work well with the film's plot as they all fit in seamlessly. Some may find it a little cheesy but if you're just after something fun to watch when there's nothing on TV you can't really go wrong with this movie.

The movie has a great cast too. Meryl Streep adds a lot to the comedy with her portrayal of Donna and Julie Walters and Christine Baranski are a lot of fun as her best friends Rosie and Tanya. The standout by far is, however, Amanda Seyfried as Sophie. Whenever she is onscreen, she has a very captivating presence and is by far the most interesting character in the film. She is a big part of why this film works so well; Amanda Seyfried gives a very sweet and believable portrayal that gives the film its heart that it needed to be the success it was.

The problem with the cast, however, is that they just can't sing. The exception is Amanda Seyfried, who gives a stunning version of the song Honey, Honey but the rest are poor. The worst offenders are Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan (who plays one of the potential fathers, Sam), who sound like a cat being tortured with a flaming matchstick whenever they try to belt one of the famous ABBA songs. It seems like whoever did the casting based it purely on the strengths of the acting rather than taking the singing into account and that's not a good idea when the film's a musical first and foremost. You end up having to mute the sound whenever they begin to sing then unmute it immediately after.

The cinematography is also very basic. There's nothing special really about the way it is shot; there isn't a great variety of shot types. It's mainly a lot of mid shots, although the framing is occasionally interesting such as this nice two shot below:

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Mamma-Mia---Film--mamma-mia-525966_385_288.jpg

There's not been a great deal of thought put into the cinematography, especially when you compare it to other musicals like Les Miserables or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It's basically shot in the style of an average non-musical comedy rather than totally utilising the musical format.

Overall, Mamma Mia is a fun movie based on ABBA songs. The acting is great and it adds something new to the romantic comedy by combining it with the musical genre. However, the singing is terrible and the cinematography is a little basic. It is a very entertaining film though and definitely worth your time.

4

[SeeingisBelieving]

That's a good point. Now you mention it, I think it was mentioned on one of the documentaries on the Special Edition DVD.

Could be, yeah.

Yes, it's very effective. I like how the Philip Hinchcliffe era pushes the boundaries with what the show could get away with too. The body horror with Noah's hand and later his face are among my favourite classic series scenes.

Yeah, it's fantastic. I don't think The Ark in Space has aged particularly well from my point of view – I don't rate it as highly as I used to – but it still has a lot of great parts. It's a great shame that Philip Hinchcliffe in a sense paid for pushing the boundaries in a way that Barry Letts didn't. I always thought it was weird that Robert Holmes, who loved body horror, never bought into the Cybermen for their potential in that area.

I actually think the Wiirn look alright, although a new series update of their look would be nice if they were ever to return. At one point I would have doubted a Wiirn new series appearance but after the Zygons returned in Day of the Doctor and became a recurring threat, I think if a future showrunner was to feel that strongly about bringing them back it could happen (providing there's a good story to be told, of course).

Well the Zygons are maybe an unfair comparison because they always looked fantastic. It's just one of the best monsters, visually. The Wirrn would be a great one to revamp. I loved the fact that when Alister Pearson did his Target novelization cover, he showed the Wirrn – clearly a man in a suit – warts and all in a full figure painting.

I think Russell T Davies is the best at the 'close to home' approach to be honest. The Judoon, for example, have become among the new series' most iconic creations and I think a lot of it is due to their resemblance to rhinos - whilst it's unlikely any of us see rhinos on a day to day basis most of the audience will have seen them at a zoo at some point and even if you haven't, we're all familiar with what a rhino looks like.

I wondered whether Davies thought that a simplistic, back to basics approach to sci-fi was best as it's what the public could easily latch on to. Aliens with animal heads, or the Flash Gordon idea of lion men and hawk men are definitely comparable as they were simple to comprehend. I don't know whether he was conscious of doing this but as you say with the Judoon they appear to have become popular for precisely these reasons.

I just like something a bit more involved, like the Hath, which don't look exactly like something from our planet. Even the Ood were that step further than just a kind of Dr Moreau monster.

I'm not sure, although I wouldn't be too surprised if we are. There aren't many movie connections to Doctor Who other than the Peter Cushing films, TV Movie and arguably Day of the Doctor and Deep Breath.

Sad, really if true:).

[DalekbusterScreen5]

It's a great shame that Philip Hinchcliffe in a sense paid for pushing the boundaries in a way that Barry Letts didn't. I always thought it was weird that Robert Holmes, who loved body horror, never bought into the Cybermen for their potential in that area.
Yeah, it is strange. I also find it weird that the Cybermen never returned during the Jon Pertwee era. The 3rd Doctor facing the Cybermen would have made for brilliant television.


I wondered whether Davies thought that a simplistic, back to basics approach to sci-fi was best as it's what the public could easily latch on to. Aliens with animal heads, or the Flash Gordon idea of lion men and hawk men are definitely comparable as they were simple to comprehend. I don't know whether he was conscious of doing this but as you say with the Judoon they appear to have become popular for precisely these reasons.
Whatever his thought process was, it worked. As much as I like Steven Moffat, it's interesting to note that Russell T Davies has (arguably) created the biggest number of iconic monsters compared to Moffat.

[gbgoodies]

Mamma Mia

I don't think there has ever been a Eurovision winner quite like ABBA. They have produced some of the world's most memorable songs, from Money, Money, Money to Thank You For The Music. It's no surprise that somebody decided to turn them into a musical; a film version was also inevitable.

Mamma Mia is set on a greek island, where broke mother Donna's (Meryl Streep) daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to get married to Sky (Dominic Cooper) and wants her father to be at the wedding. The problem is, she doesn't know which man out of three is her Dad. In order to find out, she sends invitations to them all and the three potential fathers arrive for her wedding.

I don't usually like romantic comedies but in my eyes this is a fun, good-natured exception to the usual tacky romcoms. It helps that it adds something new by combining it with the musical genre; the ABBA songs work well with the film's plot as they all fit in seamlessly. Some may find it a little cheesy but if you're just after something fun to watch when there's nothing on TV you can't really go wrong with this movie.

The movie has a great cast too. Meryl Streep adds a lot to the comedy with her portrayal of Donna and Julie Walters and Christine Baranski are a lot of fun as her best friends Rosie and Tanya. The standout by far is, however, Amanda Seyfried as Sophie. Whenever she is onscreen, she has a very captivating presence and is by far the most interesting character in the film. She is a big part of why this film works so well; Amanda Seyfried gives a very sweet and believable portrayal that gives the film its heart that it needed to be the success it was.

The problem with the cast, however, is that they just can't sing. The exception is Amanda Seyfried, who gives a stunning version of the song Honey, Honey but the rest are poor. The worst offenders are Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan (who plays one of the potential fathers, Sam), who sound like a cat being tortured with a flaming matchstick whenever they try to belt one of the famous ABBA songs. It seems like whoever did the casting based it purely on the strengths of the acting rather than taking the singing into account and that's not a good idea when the film's a musical first and foremost. You end up having to mute the sound whenever they begin to sing then unmute it immediately after.

The cinematography is also very basic. There's nothing special really about the way it is shot; there isn't a great variety of shot types. It's mainly a lot of mid shots, although the framing is occasionally interesting such as this nice two shot below:

http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Mamma-Mia---Film--mamma-mia-525966_385_288.jpg

There's not been a great deal of thought put into the cinematography, especially when you compare it to other musicals like Les Miserables or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It's basically shot in the style of an average non-musical comedy rather than totally utilising the musical format.

Overall, Mamma Mia is a fun movie based on ABBA songs. The acting is great and it adds something new to the romantic comedy by combining it with the musical genre. However, the singing is terrible and the cinematography is a little basic. It is a very entertaining film though and definitely worth your time.

4


I love Mamma Mia, and I agree that the singers aren't great, but (with the exception of Pierce Brosnan, who shouldn't sing EVER), they're not as bad as you make them sound either. I saw an interview with Pierce Brosnan, and he said that when he accepted the role, he didn't know that it was a musical. The only thing that he knew about it at the time was that Meryl Streep was already signed on, and he wanted to work with her, so he signed on without even reading the script.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I love Mamma Mia, and I agree that the singers aren't great, but (with the exception of Pierce Brosnan, who shouldn't sing EVER), they're not as bad as you make them sound either. I saw an interview with Pierce Brosnan, and he said that when he accepted the role, he didn't know that it was a musical. The only thing that he knew about it at the time was that Meryl Streep was already signed on, and he wanted to work with her, so he signed on without even reading the script.

That explains a lot about why Pierce Brosnan is so bad. Why did nobody tell him it was a musical?

[SeeingisBelieving]

Whatever his thought process was, it worked. As much as I like Steven Moffat, it's interesting to note that Russell T Davies has (arguably) created the biggest number of iconic monsters compared to Moffat.

What would they be? The Slitheen, the Ood, the Judoon? Any others?

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Gotham - Season One

Gotham's season finale is airing here in the UK tonight so I thought it would make sense to take a look back at the first season of the show. If you don't know what Gotham is, think of it like Smallville: a show that takes a DC superhero and shows a time where said hero was still a child.

Gotham is arguably a more appealing premise than Smallville ever was though. Rather than Smallville's decision to make a young Clark Kent the central protagonist, Gotham follows one of the most iconic Batman characters Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), who at this point in time is a rookie police detective rather than a commissioner. He teams up with his partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) to solve crimes. Season One had a more episodic structure compared to the current season and as with Agents of SHIELD's first season, it didn't quite work. I tend to think of U.S. dramas like British soaps: they tend to work better with a serialised approach and open narrative due to their length on air than in a '...of the week' format.

There were some nice character arcs in the first season though. Barbara Kean's (Erin Richards) surprising transition from sweet fiance of Jim Gordon to psycopath, for example. The beginning of Edward Nygma's transition to becoming the Riddler was good too. I say 'the beginning' because it wasn't completed until season two. Robin Lloyd Taylor as Oswald Cobblepott was entertaining too in his progression from low-level thug to his 'King of Gotham' position in season two.

The introduction of the villains in season one is also, however, it's biggest downfall. It feels like the show introduced too many of the iconic Batman villains at once. In the first season, already you have Penguin, Catwoman (played brilliantly by Camren Bicondova), the Riddler, possibly the Joker (it's still not clear if Jerome, played by arguably Gotham's best child actor Cameron Monaghan, is the Joker even despite his later death in season two and Two Face (Nicholas D'Agosto). I would rather have seen the show stand on its own two feet without Batman villains overshadowing its first season. Gotham's first season didn't really need quite so many of them; Selina Kyle seemed necessary and Oswald Cobblepott was a great inclusion to the first season but Edward Nygma working in forensics at the GCPD felt forced, Jerome could have been kept back for season two and Nicholas D'Agosto was forgettable as Harvey Dent.

On the positive side, there were some brilliant narrative developments in the first season. The idea to have Jim Gordon demoted to working at Arkham Asylum was a great idea and helped develop Jim's character more from 'boy scout' to a character more flawed. It also saw the introduction of a new love for Jim who Ben McKenzie had much more chemistry with compared to how he appeared alongside Erin Richards as Barbara. Morena Baccarin was introduced as Lee Thompkins in the episode Rogues' Gallery and was immediately more convincing as Jim's girlfriend. It was no surprise when I later found out they were an item in real life.

Another big success for Gotham was the amazing chemistry between Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue. The two actors bounced off each other nicely throughout the season and feel like natural friends. It's their partnership that made season one of Gotham really worth watching.

The highlight of the season for me was by far Sean Pertwee as Gotham. I would go as far as to say he is the best screen version of Bruce's butler Alfred there has ever been and ever will ever be. He is absolutely perfect as a more action-orientated take on the iconic character (not too dissimilar to Jon Pertwee's Doctor, actually) and was season one's unexpected star of the show. I haven't seen Batman VS Superman but I doubt Jeremy Irons is half as good as him.

Overall, the first season of Gotham was a mixed bag. It had some nice character arc and great character developments but the episodic approach didn't quite work out. There was also the introduction of too many Batman villains and it would have been nice to have seen some of them held back for season two. Ben McKenzie's chemistry with Morena Bccarin and Donal Logue was brilliant though and the first season of the show introduced the best version of Alfred there likely ever will be.

3

[DalekbusterScreen5]

What would they be? The Slitheen, the Ood, the Judoon? Any others?

The Sisters of Plentitude, Cassandra (as much as I don't care much for her), the Scarecrows from Human Nature/Family of Blood, ..

[SeeingisBelieving]

The Sisters of Plentitude, Cassandra (as much as I don't care much for her), the Scarecrows from Human Nature/Family of Blood, ..

The Sisters of Plentitude are seen as iconic? :p:)

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Sisters of Plentitude are seen as iconic? :p:)

They were iconic enough for a second appearance from Novice Hame in Gridlock!

[SeeingisBelieving]

They were iconic enough for a second appearance from Novice Hame in Gridlock!

Wow – a second appearance :p;) !

The makeup was good wasn't it? It was funny to see Ardal O'Hanlon in that story. What I thought was pathetic was the way they just used a real kitten for the cross-species baby, instead of a proper half-cat baby. To me that just came over as lazy and derisory.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Wow – a second appearance :p;) !

The makeup was good wasn't it? It was funny to see Ardal O'Hanlon in that story. What I thought was pathetic was the way they just used a real kitten for the cross-species baby, instead of a proper half-cat baby. To me that just came over as lazy and derisory.

Yeah, I imagine it was a money-saving thing.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Gotham: Rise of the Villains

Gotham's second season finished here in the UK yesterday so I thought today I would review it. What's really cool about this season is how they gave it a subtitle rather than simply calling it 'Season Two'. It's a lot more creative and helped make it clear from the start that this would be a more serialised season compared to the episodic format of season one.

The season had a really nice structure overall too. Although there was no mid-season breaks here in the UK, it was nice how both parts that would have aired in the U.S. before and after a break told two different stories. I will concentrate on both narratives separately as that seems the fairest way to review this season.

The first half of Rise of the Villains saw Theo Galavan's (James Frain) rise to power from pretending to be a vigilante whilst organising a crime group of villains (hence the season's subtitle) to becoming the mayor of Gotham. This half was proper edge-of-your-seat stuff as you were left clueless as to how Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) would manage to convince Captain Barnes (Michael Chikilis) and the rest of the GCPD that Theo was a nasty piece of work. It seemed like this guy was impossible for Jim to stop and it was great to see the main protagonist having to prove that the bad guy is the bad guy. It was great to see Jim Gordon in a dark place mentally too; no longer is he the clean perfect police detective who always manages to obey the floor but now he is as corrupt as the very people he condemned in season one.

The second half was the real gamechanger. After the last narrative concluded, the season continued by exploring Hugo Strange (BD Wong), his involvement in the Pinewood project and ability to resurrect the dead. This was one hell of a development for Gotham as it means they have more creative license to do anything rather than be restricted by Batman villains having to survive. Now that the dead can be brought back, we could see Oswald Cobblepot die or Edward Nygma. Hell, they could even kill Bruce Wayne and they wouldn't even have to bring him back onscreen. Just say in your head canon that he was resurrected with Hugo Strange's equipment. We don't need to see it. This was a very clever gamechanger by the writers and one that is sure going to bring very real peril into a show where certain characters have to survive according to Batman mythology.

The major problem with this season was the conflicting tone. It didn't seem to know whether it wanted to be a serious, gritty crime drama or a silly, camp take on Gotham crime. One scene in particular saw Butch (Drew Powell) fire a bazooka whilst over the top rock music played. Personally, I think the show works better when it doesn't take itself too seriously as its actors seem more comfortable in both seasons when they're allowed to ham it up rather than deliver serious dialogue. Cory Michael Smith gave his best performance when he was imitating quiz show presenters when asking Bruce (David Mazouz) and Lucius Fox (Chris Chalk) questions related to Wayne Enterprises at Arkham Asylum than when he was working at the GCPD.

I also found Lee Thompkins' (Morena Baccarin) disappearance after Jim is broken out of Arkham too random. It just seemed to come out of nowhere and it would have been nice to have seen her decide to leave rather than Harvey just telling Jim she did. I mean, why would she just leave Jim anyway? Surely she would want to visit her boyfriend in prison? This is a character who stayed with Jim even when she found out that he murdered Theo Galavan. It is very unlikely she would abruptly leave without Jim just like that.

Of course, Sean Pertwee continued to be awesome as Alfred but the real standout of season two was BD Wong as Hugo Strange. BD Wong was simply the perfect Hugo; he looked and acted exactly as you would expect from the iconic Batman villain. The confrontation scenes between Strange and Jim as well as Strange and Bruce were tense and I hope he returns in season four. Director Rob Bailey did a brilliant job of blocking the scenes to fulfil the dramatic weight behind them, making them my favourite moments from the TV show as of current.

If there hadn't been the resurrection plot device introduced to the season, I would have used this review to complain about Jerome (Cameron Monaghan) being killed off in the first half but that seems pretty much redundant somehow. If Cameron Monaghan is the future Joker, then he is the best screen Joker so far. Yep, that's right: better than Heath Ledger. It would be a crime to not bring him back in season 3 and make it definite that he grows up to be the most iconic Batman villain of all time. Cameron Monaghan even overshadows some of the adult actors such as Robin Lloyd-Taylor (Oswald Cobblepot) and Erin Richards (Barbara Kean). He is one child actor I'd love to see appear in Doctor Who, even though kid actors notoriously don't tend to go down well among the Whovian fanbase.

Overall, Gotham: Rise of the Villains was a big improvement on season one with a more serialised approach and the brilliant idea to introduce resurrection as a plot device for the season (meaning Batman characters who would normally survive could now be placed in real peril). The tension in confrontation scenes between BD Wong and Hugo Strange and Hugo Strange and Bruce Wayne was incredible thanks to a brilliant directing turn by Rob Bailey and Cameron Monaghan simply needs to return as Jerome. The show suffers from a conflicting tone though and Lee Thompkins' disappearance was too random. There was no reason for the character to leave without Jim Gordon, especially when she had been shown to be a hugely supportive girlfriend to him.

4

[SeeingisBelieving]

He is one child actor I'd love to see appear in Doctor Who, even though kid actors notoriously don't tend to go down well among the Whovian fanbase.

That's a good point – I'm trying to think of a really good child performance in the show but it's difficult.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

That's a good point – I'm trying to think of a really good child performance in the show but it's difficult.

There's Caitlin Blackwood but that's the only one I can think of.

[SeeingisBelieving]

There's Caitlin Blackwood but that's the only one I can think of.

Yeah, she was excellent. As always I go to my default setting of the classic series and it's not easy to think up a really memorable performance from a youngster.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Given how similar the fantastical worlds of Jules Verne are to the universe of Doctor Who, it is a wonder it took so long for a Jules Verne-inspired episode of the show. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS is obviously inspired by Jules' 'Journey To The Centre of the Earth'. The episode doesn't manage to reach the same heights as Jules Verne's most iconic story however.

When the TARDIS is captured by a salvage company in space, Clara (Jenna Coleman) finds herself lost inside and the Doctor (Matt Smith) enlists the help of salvagers Tricky (Jahvel Hall), Bram (Mark Oliver) and Gregor (Ashley Walters) to find her. He promises they can have the TARDIS in exchange for their assistance.

There are some nice references to Doctor Who mythology - the Eye of Harmony for instance returns from the 1996 TV Movie - but overall there just isn't enough meat to the story. A lot of it is just characters running around TARDIS corridors and the time zombies introduced later into the narrative just feel forced in order to provide a 'monster of the week' of sorts. It never feels like there's a compelling reason for the story to be told entirely in the TARDIS, like it was simply an excuse to have a TARDIS-centric episode rather than because writer Stephen Thompson had a story to tell.

That's not the main problem with the story however. The main issue I have is that Steven Moffat and Stephen Thompson promised beforehand we would get to see more of the TARDIS, yet we are hardly shown anything other than corridors. We are shown quite a bit of the TARDIS library but other rooms like the TARDIS swimming pool are only glimpsed. It was a big disappointment to not have seen more of the TARDIS's swimming pool and this story would have at least had more of a reason for existing if we'd have seen more TARDIS rooms.

The resolution is a little weak too. It's a literal reset button, meaning the events of the episode never actually happened. This unfortunately renders it a pointless episode of the show. Essentially by watching this episode you waste forty five minutes on something that means nothing to the characters by the time it ends. A better solution would have been to have developed the salvagers to a point where they realise they don't want to salvage a sentient machine and decide to leave after they find Clara. Get rid of the whole time rift and make it an entire exploration of the cruelty behind trying to salvage a machine that is basically alive and the whole episode would have been substantially improved.

I did like the cinematography of this episode though. There were some beautifully shot moments, such as this one in the The Architectural Reconfiguration System:

https://houseofgeekery.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/journey-to-the-centre-of-the-tardis.png

Absolutely stunning production design by Production Designer Michael Pickwoad and a beautiful extreme wide shot by Camera Operator Joe Russell. It has that very distinctive Jules Verne feel, which I had hoped the episode's writing would have evoked too. Michael Pickwoad and Joe Russell worked wonders on this episode and should be applauded for it, even if the episode itself is lackluster.

The show's stars (in this case, Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman) are always applauded for their work on the show but people tend to forget the production crew who help produce the show. Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman were great but it is those who work behind the camera who deserve more recognition for what they do. It's easy to forget them, which is a shame because they do a stunning job and the show would not be the same without them.

Overall, Journey To The Centre of the TARDIS was a great concept for the show but unfortunately Steve Thompson doesn't quite pull it off. It just feels like an excuse to have an episode set entirely in the TARDIS and there's no compelling narrative reason behind it. The Edge of Destruction was a more effective take on a TARDIS-centric Doctor Who story. It doesn't try to force in a monster-of-the-week for a start. Journey needed bigger emphasis on TARDIS exploration (show us more rooms, not just glimpses of rooms) and a stronger resolution. The cinematography was brilliant though and the production design by Michael Pickwoad was incredible.

2

[SeeingisBelieving]

Given how similar the fantastical worlds of Jules Verne are to the universe of Doctor Who, it is a wonder it took so long for a Jules Verne-inspired episode of the show.

I suppose if you really studied it, looking back, there'd be something. The obvious is the appearance of the wood-panelled console room for Tom Baker but story-wise I can only think of the audio The Next Life being influenced by The Mysterious Island, and even then I'd put it down to the inspiration of the Harryhausen monster films.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Psycho

I have done a few television reviews as of recent so today I thought I would opt for a movie review. And what better type of film to explore than an Alfred Hitchcock movie? Yes, as you can see from the title I have decided to review arguably his most famous thriller - Psycho. And not the dreadful 1998 remake either.

Hitchcock was the master of deception and this is no more evident than in the beginning of the movie. Psycho, you see, doesn't start like a typical horror-thriller but somewhat represents the beginning of a crime movie. It begins with Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) working at a real estate where a client arrives with $40,000 cash for a property. Her boss George Lowery (Vaughn Taylor) asks her to put it in a bank and grants Marion the afternoon off, however she decides to steal it to help pay her boyfriend Sam Loomis's (John Gavin) debt. She decides to set off from Arizona to California. The way he expertly subverts the horror-thriller is a big achievement for the film and makes it all the more shocking when Marion decides to stop off at the Bates Motel and the thriller elements kick into gear.

What's even more brilliant about Psycho is how Alfred Hitchcock plays with who you are led to believe is the main character. Usually you would expect the lead to stay in the film until the end of the movie. Not here, though. Alfred Hitchcock kills Marion off within the first thirty minutes. This play with narrative structure is an effective way to allow us as the audience to feel a little uneasy as nothing plays out as we would expect. Unfortunately a lot of movies nowadays tend to play it somewhat safe and modern filmmakers could take a few pointers from this Hitchcockian classic.

Of course, you can't review Psycho without mentioning the famous shower scene. The shower scene is an iconic one in movie history and rightly so. It's brilliantly shot and directed by cameraman Alfred Hitchcock and cameraman Robert Burkett, especially the moment when you see the blood swirling down the plug hole. This may have been blood in black and white but Psycho didn't need colour to make it look effective.

In fact, I think part of the reason why the remake didn't work was because they tried to make it in colour. Colour is all well and good but once it is added to a screenplay like Psycho, it starts to lose the impact and atmosphere. The 1960 Psycho works so well in black and white that it's hard to imagine it any other way. This sounds strange to say but I doubt Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) would look quite as menacing if we could see him in colour than how he appears in black and white.

Speaking of Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins is wonderful in the role. He expertly plays his split personality, from trying to act normal as Norman meeting Marion to dressing as his mother to kill people once Marion is gone. Alfred Hitchcock's film does a nice exploration of the paranoia behind identity crisis and taking on another's appearance; when Norman Bates dresses as his mother, it's like watching a different character. In some instances, it could look camp but here it is genuinely scary.

Overall, Psycho is without a doubt a Hitchcockian masterpiece and a film many modern day filmmakers could learn from today. Alfred Hitchcock brilliantly plays with narrative structure and audience expectancy and there is brilliant camera work by Robert Burkett, who proves you don't need colour to make a blood shot effective. There's a reason why black and white films shouldn't be made into colour (as Pyscho was with the disastrous 1998 remake) and that's because it adds a lot to the movie's atmosphere. Psycho works perfectly in black and white, using its limitations for what still stands as a truly shocking and effective piece of film.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

I haven't seen Psycho for years but I liked it very much. The violence on the stairs sticks out particularly, as well as that final shot. My favourite's The Birds.

What's even more brilliant about Psycho is how Alfred Hitchcock plays with who you are led to believe is the main character. Usually you would expect the lead to stay in the film until the end of the movie. Not here, though. Alfred Hitchcock kills Marion off within the first thirty minutes.

The only snag for me is that on the opening titles we see "and Janet Leigh". Anyone who was used to noticing such things would most likely have realised that her character wasn't going to be around for the whole film.

This sounds strange to say but I doubt Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) would look quite as menacing if we could see him in colour than how he appears in black and white.

I feel that that's probably the case, going by Psycho II at least.

He was also excellent in the film Remember My Name which I saw a few months back for the first time, featuring another sociopathic character played by Geraldine Chaplin, and for me on a par with his Norman Bates.

you don't need colour to make a blood shot effective.

You've reminded me of the Manhunter line "Have you ever seen blood in the moonlight Will? It appears quite black" :).

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The violence on the stairs sticks out particularly
That scene made me jump about two metres out of my seat. :D


The only snag for me is that on the opening titles we see "and Janet Leigh". Anyone who was used to noticing such things would most likely have realised that her character wasn't going to be around for the whole film.
I didn't notice that. That's a good indicator that she's not the main character.

He was also excellent in the film Remember My Name which I saw a few months back for the first time, featuring another sociopathic character played by Geraldine Chaplin, and for me on a par with his Norman Bates.
I've not seen that film. I'll put it on the list of many films I've yet to watch.


You've reminded me of the Manhunter line "Have you ever seen blood in the moonlight Will? It appears quite black" :).
Hannibal Lecktor is Alfred Hitchcock 100% confirmed. :D

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I'll definitely be defying gravity by reviewing this movie in 2019:

http://www.empireonline.com/people/idina-menzel/wicked-movie-scheduled-december-2019/

[gbgoodies]

Psycho

I have done a few television reviews as of recent so today I thought I would opt for a movie review. And what better type of film to explore than an Alfred Hitchcock movie? Yes, as you can see from the title I have decided to review arguably his most famous thriller - Psycho. And not the dreadful 1998 remake either.

Hitchcock was the master of deception and this is no more evident than in the beginning of the movie. Psycho, you see, doesn't start like a typical horror-thriller but somewhat represents the beginning of a crime movie. It begins with Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) working at a real estate where a client arrives with $40,000 cash for a property. Her boss George Lowery (Vaughn Taylor) asks her to put it in a bank and grants Marion the afternoon off, however she decides to steal it to help pay her boyfriend Sam Loomis's (John Gavin) debt. She decides to set off from Arizona to California. The way he expertly subverts the horror-thriller is a big achievement for the film and makes it all the more shocking when Marion decides to stop off at the Bates Motel and the thriller elements kick into gear.

What's even more brilliant about Psycho is how Alfred Hitchcock plays with who you are led to believe is the main character. Usually you would expect the lead to stay in the film until the end of the movie. Not here, though. Alfred Hitchcock kills Marion off within the first thirty minutes. This play with narrative structure is an effective way to allow us as the audience to feel a little uneasy as nothing plays out as we would expect. Unfortunately a lot of movies nowadays tend to play it somewhat safe and modern filmmakers could take a few pointers from this Hitchcockian classic.

Of course, you can't review Psycho without mentioning the famous shower scene. The shower scene is an iconic one in movie history and rightly so. It's brilliantly shot and directed by cameraman Alfred Hitchcock and cameraman Robert Burkett, especially the moment when you see the blood swirling down the plug hole. This may have been blood in black and white but Psycho didn't need colour to make it look effective.

In fact, I think part of the reason why the remake didn't work was because they tried to make it in colour. Colour is all well and good but once it is added to a screenplay like Psycho, it starts to lose the impact and atmosphere. The 1960 Psycho works so well in black and white that it's hard to imagine it any other way. This sounds strange to say but I doubt Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) would look quite as menacing if we could see him in colour than how he appears in black and white.

Speaking of Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins is wonderful in the role. He expertly plays his split personality, from trying to act normal as Norman meeting Marion to dressing as his mother to kill people once Marion is gone. Alfred Hitchcock's film does a nice exploration of the paranoia behind identity crisis and taking on another's appearance; when Norman Bates dresses as his mother, it's like watching a different character. In some instances, it could look camp but here it is genuinely scary.

Overall, Psycho is without a doubt a Hitchcockian masterpiece and a film many modern day filmmakers could learn from today. Alfred Hitchcock brilliantly plays with narrative structure and audience expectancy and there is brilliant camera work by Robert Burkett, who proves you don't need colour to make a blood shot effective. There's a reason why black and white films shouldn't be made into colour (as Pyscho was with the disastrous 1998 remake) and that's because it adds a lot to the movie's atmosphere. Psycho works perfectly in black and white, using its limitations for what still stands as a truly shocking and effective piece of film.

5


Did you know that Hitchcock used chocolate syrup as the blood going down the drain because it looked like blood in black and white? Some moviegoers even swore that the blood in that scene was red. (It was even parodied in the Looney Tunes movie Back in Action.)

Have you seen Freddie Highmore as a young Norman Bates in the TV show "Bates Motel"? Even though he's just a teenage version of Norman, he looks pretty menacing in color.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Did you know that Hitchcock used chocolate syrup as the blood going down the drain because it looked like blood in black and white? Some moviegoers even swore that the blood in that scene was red. (It was even parodied in the Looney Tunes movie Back in Action.)
I didn't actually. That's interesting to hear.

I intend to film Back In Action at some point. I'm trying to plot some of the films so they tie-in with certain movie releases so I might leave Back In Action for Space Jam 2's release. Then again, I have seen the first Space Jam so maybe not. I haven't decided yet. I think it's a vastly underrated film though; you can tell the director Joe Dante is a big fan of Looney Tunes.

Have you seen Freddie Highmore as a young Norman Bates in the TV show "Bates Motel"? Even though he's just a teenage version of Norman, he looks pretty menacing in color.
I haven't seen Bates Motel because unfortunately majority of U.S. Dramas end up behind pay-to-view channels here in the UK but one day I may buy the box set and give it a watch. I'm a bit reluctant about someone else playing Norman though because it's one of those parts where you can only imagine the original actor in the role.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I didn't notice that. That's a good indicator that she's not the main character.

Yeah, I couldn't understand it. You'd surely put her name first, as she was the star name, to increase the shock, which by all accounts was considerable anyway:p.

I've not seen that film. I'll put it on the list of many films I've yet to watch.

It's great. It's on fairly regularly on one of the movie channels.

Hannibal Lecktor is Alfred Hitchcock 100% confirmed. :D

Actually I wonder whether Anthony Hopkins thought of Hitchcock when he was playing Lecter for the first time. There's just something about his version's enjoyment of the sick events that echoes Hitchcock's playful toying with his audience.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Did you know that Hitchcock used chocolate syrup as the blood going down the drain because it looked like blood in black and white? Some moviegoers even swore that the blood in that scene was red. (It was even parodied in the Looney Tunes movie Back in Action.)

I didn't know that either; that's great.

Have you seen Freddie Highmore as a young Norman Bates in the TV show "Bates Motel"? Even though he's just a teenage version of Norman, he looks pretty menacing in color.

I haven't seen that but I like Vera Farmiga (she's hot:cool:) and she does seem to have done a lot in the horror/thriller genre.

Talking of colour, I was watching Brian Blessed's commentary on Flash Gordon the other day and he mentioned the colour being part of the threatening atmosphere of Ming's city. All the red and gold bearing down on everything. It's a very good commentary I think.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I'm a bit reluctant about someone else playing Norman though because it's one of those parts where you can only imagine the original actor in the role.

Yeah, I feel like that with some characters. Sometimes not even with the original actor, but a later one.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith

It's always great to see the main character of a TV show appear in its spinoff; The Sarah Jane Adventures may not have needed the then-current Doctor David Tennant to show up but it is undeniably a cool moment when he does. This year we will most likely have Peter Capaldi in Class to look forward to, so it's undeniable that the Doctor showing up in a spinoff is something people like to see.

There's just something fascinating about seeing certain characters interact with the lead from the main show and The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith knows exactly how to set up the Doctor's appearance. Many shows would likely just throw the character in from the start of the first episode.

Not this one.

This one takes its time in properly introducing the relationship between Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Peter Dalton(Nigel Havers) and it's all the more stronger for it. It's okay to have a crossover but it's pointless if you sacrifice the narrative for it so kudos to Gareth Roberts for not taking the lazy option. Given that the plot of this episode revolves around Sarah and Peter's wedding plus Peter's deal with the Trickster concerning his life, we need to be able to buy into their feelings for each other. That's something that's obviously hard to do in half an hour when said male character is introduced in the same story, yet Gareth Roberts does it brilliantly and you can't help but feel for poor Peter. Peter was a good guy in the end just trying to survive and any of us in his situation would have done the deal with the Trickster.

As for David Tennant, he comes into the story at just the right moment: in the cliffhanger to part one, where he literally screams 'Stop this wedding, now!'. Granted, it sounds like a soap opera cliche but it's a brilliant cliffhanger to the first of a two part story due to the number of questions it raises about the wedding: why would the Doctor want to ruin his best friend's big day? What's got the Doctor worried? Why has he only just arrived? All of these are of course answered in part two but I won't spoil it here as it would ruin the impact of the cliffhanger for anyone who hasn't seen this SJA story.

A big draw of the Doctor appearing in Sarah Jane Adventures is seeing him confront the spinoff show's most iconic original enemy: the Trickster. It doesn't disappoint. The Doctor's confrontation with the Trickster (Paul Marc Davies) feels so natural that it wouldn't look out of place in the main show. She's still Sarah Jane's main antagonist in the end (The Doctor and the Trickster haven't even met before now) and quite rightly so but the Doctor VS the Tricker is a brilliant moment and one of the most memorable of the show.

Whilst it is odd that it's not the Doctor who defeats the Trickster in the end, it does feel right that it's a character from The Sarah Jane Adventures who stops him. And one of the best characters too - Clyde Langer. Daniel Anthony was always my favourite as Clyde and I hope one day he is made a companion. I could easily watch a whole series of the Doctor and Clyde travelling; the two just work so well together and he seems like natural companion material.

The camera framing is very strong. Camera Operator Martin Stephens has done a brilliant job with framing and composition; a particular highlight is this shot, that to me has a very 'Back to the Future' feel:

http://www.doctorwhoreviews.altervista.org/SJA_files/The%20Wedding%20of%20Sarah%20Jane%20Smith%20(4).jpg

The director Joss Agnew has done a good job too; in any other hands, a story like this could feel too much like an episode of Coronation Street. Thankfully, Joss Agnew is wonderfully talented and he manages to make it feel more like a standard episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures rather than another show entirely (not a mean feat when you have a wedding going wrong).

Overall, The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith is a classic Sarah Jane Adventures story with brilliant pacing and a great confrontation between the Doctor and the Trickster. The camera framing and composition is top notch and director Joss Agnew does a good job keeping that Sarah Jane Adventures feel in spite of the 'wedding going wrong' soap opera cliche.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

I was wondering today who I would cast as the Doctor after Capaldi and I still have no ideas. Ideally the same will happen as when David Tennant left and Chris Chibnall can cast his own actor.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I was wondering today who I would cast as the Doctor after Capaldi and I still have no ideas. Ideally the same will happen as when David Tennant left and Chris Chibnall can cast his own actor.

Personally I would cast John Hannah from Agents of SHIELD but I know some think he would be too similar to Peter Capaldi.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Personally I would cast John Hannah from Agents of SHIELD but I know some think he would be too similar to Peter Capaldi.

Interesting that he's currently known for that series – I didn't know he was in it! He was good in Spartacus recently but I think the first time I saw him was probably either Four Weddings or Sliding Doors. He's not the same type as Capaldi but he would still be too similar.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Interesting that he's currently known for that series – I didn't know he was in it! He was good in Spartacus recently but I think the first time I saw him was probably either Four Weddings or Sliding Doors. He's not the same type as Capaldi but he would still be too similar.

Perhaps; I just think he is good at playing characters with an authorial presence and a deep sense of affection towards those he considers equals (like the Doctor's companions).

[SeeingisBelieving]

Perhaps; I just think he is good at playing characters with an authorial presence and a deep sense of affection towards those he considers equals (like the Doctor's companions).

Yeah, that's probably right. I remember him also being in an early Taggart, much as Alan Cumming had been. Strange that Capaldi never did the show.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Magic Roundabout (2005)

The Magic Roundabout is a strange film adaptation of the classic childrens' show of the same name. It doesn't really have a great deal to do with the show beyond the characters sharing the same names. The original was a series made for very young kids and didn't really have much in the way of a plot given they were made as five minute episodes before the news. For both the 1972 and 2005 movies, they decided to add a primary antagonist for the dog Dougal and his friends to take on. With the 2005 film adaptation, they went one step further and aimed the film at older children.

Normally this would be a bad thing but with something like The Magic Roundabout, it was actually a very good idea. I don't believe you could stick religiously to the source material for a Magic Roundabout film because as nothing much happens in the original series it would be a very boring and tedious affair. By adding a primary antagonist and gearing it towards an older audience however you have a pleasantly enjoyable movie that can be enjoyed by a wider variety of ages.

The film starts when Dougal (Robbie Williams) deliberately punctures the tyre of a sweet cart and convinces its driver Mr Grimsdale (Jimmy Hibbert) to abandon it. Once he's gone, Dougal accidentally crashes the cart into the Magic Roundabout - as a consequence, Zebedee's (Ian McKellan) evil twin Zeebad (Tom Baker) is accidentally released from his imprisonment and the Magic Roundabout is frozen along with Mr. Rusty (no dialogue), Dougal's owner Florence (Kylie Minogue) and two children called Basil (Ediz Mahmut) and Coral (Daniella Loftus). It's up to Dougal, Brian (Jim Broadbent), Ermintrude (Joanna Lumley), Dylan (Bill Nighy) and a talking train called Train (Lee Evans) to find three diamonds and place them in the Magic Roundabout in order to re-imprison Zeebad.

Before you say anything: yes, Tom Baker VS Ian McKellan is as awesome as it sounds. They have an amazing fight where Zeebad uses ice and Zebedee fire powers, akin to the Harry VS Voldemort battle in Goblet of Fire. Both give amazing performances as Zeebad and Zebedee; Tom Baker in particular gets a lot of the best lines especially when Zeebad promises to give his foot soldier Soldier Sam (Ray Winstone) three weeks' holiday from work - only to reveal that due to his plan to create a permanent Winter there will likely never be a Summer again. The great thing is that rather than aiming purely at kids, the film takes inspiration from Disney by having Zebedee lose his fight and seemingly fall to his death (although Zebedee does survive in the end).

Another standout in this animated film was Lee Evans' Train. Besides Zeebad, the Train was probably my favourite character in the film. He is brilliantly funny and for once Lee Evans isn't annoying with his humour. The Train could easily have had its own film to itself, although perhaps its for the best that it didn't given how the critics weren't so impressed with animated spinoffs such as The Minions and Penguins of Madagascar.

The thing I find most amusing is how Dylan is basically a hippy. It surprises me that they managed to get away with this in both the 2005 film and the original animated series; the meaning that Dylan is actually a drug addict is clear for adult audiences but I suppose it likely goes over kids' heads. Dylan is another character who could lead his own film spinoff, although the hippy stereotype joke would likely wear off after the first few minutes.

The film can sometimes go a bit too stupid; when the evil skeleton guards appear you start to wonder if you're having one of Dylan's inevitable hallucinations. Talking of Dylan, he is revealed to be an expert in martial arts.

Yeah. I'm being serious.

The animation isn't all that brilliant either. The environments and character designs all look too artificial, meaning the film looks more like a videogame than an animated movie. It's certainly not Pixar-standard animation. It doesn't surprise me that the film company behind it Action Synthese went bust as the film looks cheaply made; my guess is they had a very small budget and spent most of it on hiring the stellar cast.

Overall, The Magic Roundabout is a great animated film that refuses to talk down to kids and thankfully provides something vastly different to the childrens' TV series it was based on. Tom Baker taking on Ian McKellan is quite frankly awesome and Lee Evans is brilliant as a talking train. However the film is occasionally sidetracked by silly ideas and the animation appears to be cheaply produced; it is clear that most of the film's budget was spent on securing the star talent rather than the animation.

4

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The End of the World

Episode twos are always difficult for any television series. Ninety nine percent of the time the production crew tend to focus their efforts mostly on the first episode in order to entice people to watch the show and the second episode ends up overlooked. This is clearly the case with The End of the World, which whilst not terrible isn't quite up to the standards of the previous episode Rose.

The End of the World has a brilliant premise for a Doctor Who episode. The sun is expanding and about to destroy the Earth; on Platform One, the richest beings of the universe are gathering to watch it end on the Observation Desk including Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker), Jabe (Yasmin Bannerman), the Mox of Balhoon (Jimmy Vee) and the Face of Boe (Struan Rodger). The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) arrive to find someone is trying to sabotage the space station with robotic spiders.

The problem with this episode is that what should be an engaging narrative is actually rather boring. It doesn't help that the pace is slowed down by Rose's call to her mum Jackie (Camille Coduri). As well-written the conversation between Rose and Jackie is, it doesn't help to enhance the plot and this feels like an episode that would work better with more emphasis on the main story and less on the familial elements (especially when the whole planet is about to die with everyone on it - something that should be very emotional to see for Rose given this is her home planet).

There are some great scenes - the stuff with the Doctor and Jabe in the air conditioning chamber trying to navigate giant rotating fans is a fantastic action piece well-directed by Euros Lyn - but they are too far and few between. I can't help but feel that later into Russell T Davies' run, the production team would have done a much better job as they would have learnt from experience how to execute the concept. It is a very ambitious idea for the first series of the show's idea and one that Russell T Davies should have perhaps kept back for series four.

The special effects in this story however are very impressive and still hold together today. These are some of the best special effects in the new series of the show; it actually feels like we're watching the real sun expanding to destroy the real Earth and every one of the alien guests look like species you may find in a big Hollywood movie rather than a television series:

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/the-end-of-the-world-earth.jpg

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976x549_b/p01w0b4m.jpg

The Face of Boe is a brilliant character too; there's something immensely likeable about the big head in the jar known as Boe. I'm not entirely sure what it is that's so appealing but I just really enjoy watching his scenes and was glad when he returned in New Earth and Gridlock. I hope one day the series confirms that Jack was definitely the Face of Boe (as stated in the later three parter Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords as it would explain how he knows to warn the Doctor about the Master).

Cassandra, on the other hand, I'm not too keen on. I'm not sure how she became a recurring character as whilst Zoe Wanamaker is good in the role, I found her nothing more than an annoying future Katie Price. She's basically what would happen if a Kardashian became the last surviving human and whilst that makes her a suitably unlikeable antagonist for the Doctor, it doesn't make her a particularly entertaining one. She's just plain irritating and initially it was a relief that she seemed to die at the end of the episode...until they decided to bring her back a year later for New Earth! I mean, what the hell Russell T Davies? Why would you want to inflict that pain on us? If anyone had to return from The End of the World alongside the Face of Boe, it should have been the Mox of Balhoon. He had much more mileage and Jimmy Vee was great in the role.

Let's talk about the main actors: Christopher Eccleston and Rose Tyler. I was never much a fan of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor and I don't think he was too brilliant here. He seemed a bit uncomfortable in the role and it felt like he was phoning in some of his lines during this episode. He certainly wasn't terrible but it wasn't his best performance as the Doctor either (that would be Dalek). Billie Piper, on the other hand, is as brilliant as she always was - especially during her conversation with plumber Raffalo, which helped to demonstrate her character's caring side when realised the plumber wasn't allowed to talk and gave her permission to.

Overall, The End of the World is one of those typical second episodes of a television series where the quality takes a sudden drop after a great episode one. The story has a strong premise but ultimately it doesn't deliver, providing a boring story with too many scenes that fail to drive the plot. There are some great scenes though and the special effects are still great eleven years on. The Face of Boe is also a great character who thankfully made the return appearances he deserved. Cassandra is annoying though and Christopher Eccleston seems uncomfortable in his performance as the Doctor.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

The End of the World

Episode twos are always difficult for any television series. Ninety nine percent of the time the production crew tend to focus their efforts mostly on the first episode in order to entice people to watch the show and the second episode ends up overlooked. This is clearly the case with The End of the World, which whilst not terrible isn't quite up to the standards of the previous episode Rose.

Though apparently a big chunk of the £1 million budget was spent on The End of the World.

The problem with this episode is that what should be an engaging narrative is actually rather boring. It doesn't help that the pace is slowed down by Rose's call to her mum Jackie (Camille Coduri). As well-written the conversation between Rose and Jackie is, it doesn't help to enhance the plot and this feels like an episode that would work better with more emphasis on the main story and less on the familial elements (especially when the whole planet is about to die with everyone on it - something that should be very emotional to see for Rose given this is her home planet).

Yeah, we saw that with Peri in The Mysterious Planet.

There are some great scenes - the stuff with the Doctor and Jabe in the air conditioning chamber trying to navigate giant rotating fans is a fantastic action piece well-directed by Euros Lyn - but they are too far and few between. I can't help but feel that later into Russell T Davies' run, the production team would have done a much better job as they would have learnt from experience how to execute the concept. It is a very ambitious idea for the first series of the show's idea and one that Russell T Davies should have perhaps kept back for series four.

I agree, I think it would have been a much better production in later years.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Though apparently a big chunk of the £1 million budget was spent on The End of the World.


That doesn't surprise me, given all the alien costumes and elaborate production design (IE chamber with fans).

[SeeingisBelieving]

That doesn't surprise me, given all the alien costumes and elaborate production design (IE chamber with fans).

Yeah, I'm assuming the most money went on the CGI.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Scooby-Doo

Have you seen the 60s Scooby Doo? The cartoons before they tried to modernise it to appear all hip and current? Well if not, then you should definitely seek them out. Nowadays Scooby Doo seems like an attempt by the animators to prove how down with the kids they are rather than actually provide an authentic version of the original cartoon series. It says a lot when the most faithful modern adaptation of the infamous Hannah-Barbera cartoons is the level Mystery Mansion Mash-up in the game LEGO Dimensions.

The 2002 live-action Scooby Doo movie directed by Raja Gosnell certainly isn't faithful to the original cartoons yet for some reason I enjoyed it. That doesn't mean I don't have issues with it in hindsight since I watched it as a young child, but it was a decent enough attempt at adapting a cartoon that must have presented a challenge when making it into live-action.

For a start, you have the talking dog Scooby (Neil Fanning). Many complain about Scooby's unrealistic CGI look but personally I think it works quite well for a film like this. He is supposed to look a bit cartoony and I think if he looked too realistic, it would remove some of the character's personality. A problem I have with a lot of modern films is that they try to make things look too real, when sometimes a more animated look would suffice.

Then there's the whole concept of a group of teenagers travelling together to solve mysteries. Whilst this works perfectly fine for a half hour cartoon, for a film it may have been stretching the plot a bit thin to have it be entirely about the gang trying to stop a man running around in a fancy dress costume. I can understand therefore why they went for a more fantastical element. The concept of monsters in a scary theme park is a strong one and has worked perfectly well for the Jurassic Park films; the problem is, they don't necessarily look like Scooby Doo villains.

http://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/80/41/1090564817-2605_9_screenshot.png

The sequel Monsters Unleashed did improve on this by using a mixture of iconic costumes from the cartoon brought to life as monsters but the first film decided to opt for something that looked more like generic kids' movie stuff.

The thing I find most odd about the 2002 live-action 'Scooby-Doo' is the plot they decided to use. In Scooby-Doo, after unmasking the Luna Ghost the gang - Scooby, Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), Fred (Freddie Prince Jnr), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Velma (Linda Cardellini) - decide to disband. Two years later, they are approached individually to investigate Spook Island, owned by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson). Quite why they decided to split up the gang in the first film I'm not quite sure and I would rather have seen them stay together; it only serves to make the plot more complicated for the first entry in a movie series.

What's great about this film though is just how self-aware it is. It knows precisely how ridiculous it is and it plays up to it. It even has a scene where Daphne takes off Velma's glasses and asks 'Who's helpless now?' (a common joke in the original Scooby Doo being Velma unable to see without her glasses. Of course, in the original cartoons Daphne was often the damsel in distress.). The makers of the movie know this isn't a film that's going to win any rewards but what they are doing is having fun with what they've got.

The beginning sequence with the Luna Ghost is also executed well. It is probably the closest in the film to a live-action take on the cartoon it's based on - the gang are chasing a costumed character, the person in the costume is unmasked, he utters the line 'I would've gotten away with it, too, if not for you meddling kids...'. It is certainly much more authentic than the dreadful TV movie prequel Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins and it feels more like watching the original cartoon than Be Cool, Scooby Doo (which bizarrely looks more like an episode of Family Guy).

Of course, the 2002 Scooby-Doo would have been nothing without Matthew Lillard. Matthew Lillard impressed people so much as Shaggy Rodgers that he has since voiced the character for numerous cartoon series and videogame adaptations. He feels exactly like the cartoon character. It's spooky how much he both looks and sounds like him. Matthew Lillard must have been born to play Shaggy - it's the only explanation. They got the casting spot-on with this guy and they will never be able to find a better Shaggy Rodgers. He even has the mannerisms of cartoon Shaggy!

One thing that really doesn't rest well with me, however, is the treatment of the character Scrappy Doo (Scott Innes). Scrappy is revealed to be the one behind the mayhem on Spook Island, controlling Emile (who is revealed to be a robot) and it just seems vastly out of character for Scrappy. I don't think he would ever turn his back on Scooby like that and I've never certainly thought of him as capable of turning to the dark side. Equally, it seems borderline cruel for Scooby and the gang to ditch him on the side of the road for weeing on Daphne. This is basically animal cruelty and it is made all the more worse by the fact that Scrappy is Scooby's nephew. You would think Scooby would have a problem with this but no, he seems fine with the idea. If you did this to your pet in real life, at the very least you would be fined for it if not be banned from keeping pets altogether. Worst of all, it's treated as a joke.

Yep, the Scooby Doo movie treats animal cruelty as a joke.

Overall, the Scooby-Doo movie is an enjoyable affair however it is let down by a few mistakes. Most notably, it treats the cruelty of animals as a joke rather than the serious subject matter it is. Splitting up the gang in the first film is also not a very good idea and it's a shame the monsters don't look a bit more like they belong in the Scooby Doo universe. Matthew Lillard is the definitive Shaggy Rodgers though and the film is wonderfully self-aware. They just need to fire whoever thought it was a good idea to joke about animal cruelty.

3.5

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Beginning

How the Doctor and Susan's adventures had started has always been a curiosity for Whovians. Whilst many understandably don't want too much revealed about the Doctor's past, it is undeniably interesting to find out what happened when they fled Gallifrey. In the wrong hands, the story could have been potentially damaging for the series due to revealing too much about the Doctor. Thankfully, Big Finish Productions are definitely the right hands (even if the story itself isn't really their strongest).

The Beginning is a part of a series called the Companion Chronicles: basically, each release a companion of the Doctor's narrates a past adventure and one or two supporting actors appear during the story. In this Companion Chronicle, Susan (Carole Anne Ford) talks about her and the Doctor's encounter with a stowaway called Quadrigger Stoyn (Terry Molloy).

Quadrigger Stoyn is never going to be an iconic Big Finish character like Molly Sullivan or Liv Chenka but he is a good enough foil for the Doctor and Susan's attempts to escape Gallifrey. It was a good idea to make him an engineer who was working on the TARDIS the Doctor and Susan stole as it reinforces this Doctor's very rash behaviour. The first Doctor never really thought plans through as well as his successors; it's with later experience that he becomes better at running away. Terry Molloy is great in the role too, making Stoyn an endearingly engaging character.

It's nice how this story ties in neatly with Name of the Doctor too. The TARDIS is clearly of the same look as the capsule shown in the eleventh Doctor episode and there's even a reference to Clara telling the Doctor to steal the faulty TARDIS (Susan describes hearing voices outside the first TARDIS the Doctor is about to enter in Name). Hell, they even manage to fit in a reference to the Hand of Omega - it follows the Doctor into the TARDIS they end up stealing.

Unfortunately, once the Doctor and Susan arrive on their first adventure, it all goes a bit bland. Their first trip finds them arrive on the moon, where they encounter a species called the Archaeons who are interfering with the development of life on Earth. Nothing much really happens, which is a shame because the Doctor and Susan's journey to the repair shop on Gallifrey sounds much more interesting. I think Big Finish would have been better delivering a story entirely about the Doctor and Susan's escape as there are a lot of interesting plot points that weren't resolved in this release. Why were the Doctor and Susan being chased by guards, for instance? What did they do? Why did they have to flee Gallifrey? This would have been a much more engaging story and it could have ended with the Doctor and Susan stealing the TARDIS and thereby beginning their adventures through time and space.

Carole Anne Ford is a great narrator though and provides a certain energy to the story. This is a great help for when the story becomes about their first adventure, as it adds some much needed life to an otherwise lifeless TARDIS trip. She seems to know exactly how to engage the reader, making her one of Big Finish's strongest for the Companion Chronicles range.

Overall, The Beginning is interesting when it deals with the Doctor and Susan's escape from Gallifrey but once the focus shifts to their first adventure, it becomes a little dull and uninspiring. Thankfully Carole Anne Ford helps to make the first TARDIS trip feel a bit more energetic, proving herself to be an extremely strong and engaging reader. There are some nice references too to the Clara splinter on Gallifrey and the Hand of Omega; it also feels like a natural before and after of the TARDIS-stealing scene from Name of the Doctor, making it easier to be considered canonical than if the events of Name of the Doctor had been ignored. This story is definitely worth listening to for the scenes where the Doctor and Susan are escaping Gallifrey, just don't expect their first TARDIS trip to deliver anything spectacular.

4

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Wall.E

The critics absolutely adored Wall.E. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 96% fresh rating. In fact, it's even certified fresh. On Metacritic, it averages at 94/100 - and they are often a lot harsher with their overall critic consensus. Many critics hailed the film a masterpiece and one of Pixar's best. So why don't I like it?

Well, for me a lot of it is to do with the direction the story takes. Wall-E (Ben Burtt) starts off being about a lone rubbish-disposing robot on a post-apocalyptic Earth abandoned by humans because we've basically messed it up. Then a female robot called Eve (Elissa Knight) appears and a romantic relationship quickly blossoms between the two. For some reason, the plot suddenly deviates to being about what happened to the humans once they left the Earth and that's where the film starts to go downhill for me.

You see, once we find out our species survived it removes one of the most interesting aspects of the first twenty minutes. I'd rather what had happened to the humans remained a mystery as I think it worked better that way. Not everything needs to be explained and once you start to cover things like this it removes the movie's potential to be a thought-provoking piece of cinema. If the worst thing our species can look forward to is being fat slobs lazying around in space, then why should we care about the post-apocalyptic future of Wall-E?

The film would have been preferable for me if it had taken place entirely in the apocalyptic wasteland. It feels more like a love story between Wall-E and Eve; once you start adding the human characters and their spaceship the plot starts to become messy and unfocused. It's a shame because the silent comedy with Wall-E at the beginning is brilliant, especially the part when Wall-E holds a lady's bra over his eyes. This could have been a brilliant homage to silent cinema and the numerous silent romantic comedies the silent era is famous for.

Instead, it becomes more of a mean-spirited social commentary on our modern way of living. Even if this future were to happen, I doubt we would all be fat and incapable of moving. Maybe a reasonably-sized portion of society would be but equally I would imagine there would be members of a space society with a comfortable weight about them. Hell, there would probably even still be a bunch of skinny people who don't get enough to eat.

The scene with the fire-extinguisher in space seems a bit too obvious for a Pixar-quality joke too. If this were made by Aardman I think it could have worked due to their more wacky ideas but as a Pixar gag it just falls flat. It doesn't really scream Pixar to me in the same way the jokes in the likes of Toy Story and Monsters. Inc do.

One thing you can't fault Wall-E on however is the animation. The animation in this film is stunning; it simply oozes off the screen and is possibly Pixar's most beautiful visuals to date. The space scenes in particular look absolutely spectacular. I mean, just look at this still from the film:



Eight years on, the animation from this film has yet to be beaten. I don't think it ever will; it would take an extraordinary film from an animation company (probably Pixar themselves) to top the animated visuals here.

Overall, Wall-E is a film that definitely disappointed me when I saw it at the cinema. The first twenty minutes are good with their clear homage to 1920s silent cinema but once we find out what happened to the human race it starts to go downhill. The animation is stunning though and eight years on is still yet to be beaten.

1

[Omnizoa]

Wall.E
rating_1

DAYAM!

The film would have been preferable for me if it had taken place precisely in the apocalyptic wasteland. It feels more like a love story between Wall-E and Eve; once you start adding the human characters and their spaceship the plot starts to become messy and unfocused.
I'll concede that.

The scene with the fire-extinguisher in space seems a bit too obvious for a Pixar-quality joke too.
It's needlessly whimsical for sure.

Well, for me a lot of it is to do with the direction the story takes. Wall-E (Ben Burtt) starts off being about a lone rubbish-disposing robot on a post-apocalyptic Earth abandoned by humans because we've basically met it up.
It's not really an apocalypse then.

If the worst thing our species can look forward to is being fat slobs lazying around in space, then why should we care about the post-apocalyptic future of Wall-E?
Why would you expect to a worst-case scenario future in a family movie?

Instead, it becomes more of a mean-spirited social commentary on our modern way of living. Even if this future were to happen, I doubt we would all be fat and incapable of moving.
"Mean-spirited"? This movie is made in a country with a ridiculous obesity rate and it's run by politicians who routinely deny that global warming is a thing. There's nothing mean-spirited about painting a RELATIVELY GENEROUS, if caricaturized, picture (considering it's cute chubby CG humans) about apathy, both for our health and for our planet.

Is it mean-spirited to tell someone a story of someone who died in a car crash to ward them off of drinking and driving? It's just basic big-picture stuff.

Maybe a reasonably-sized portion of society would be but equally I would imagine there would be members of a space society with a comfortable weight about them. Hell, there would probably even still be a bunch of skinny people who don't get enough to eat.
Another point the movie makes is that we take technology for granted. It's a luxury few have to suffer for to benefit from. DO YOU even know exactly how your computer was made? How about your car? What about television and movies? You have the advantage of things you didn't work for. You may have paid for them, but these days you don't even need to get up off the couch to buy something.

[Omnizoa]

Scooby-Doo
rating_3_5
For shame.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

DAYAM!


Why would you expect to a worst-case scenario future in a family movie?
I don't expect a worst-case scenario to be shown but I do expect certain things to be kept a mystery. The best family films have a hint of darkness and don't go 'Oh look, everything's fine really!'

"Mean-spirited"? This movie is made in a country with a ridiculous obesity rate and it's run by politicians who routinely deny that global warming is a thing. There's nothing mean-spirited about painting a RELATIVELY GENEROUS, if caricaturized, picture (considering it's cute chubby CG humans) about apathy, both for our health and for our planet.
I think it's highly unrealistic when you wouldn't get people of all the same weight. Even in America, you will get a few skinny people.


Another point the movie makes is that we take technology for granted.

I don't think this is a point this movie should be making though. It's not really what I think Wall.E should be about. As I said, the film is completely spoilt in my view when it is revealed humanity is safe.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Thankfully, Big Finish Productions are definitely the right hands (even if the story itself isn't really their strongest).

I'd go further and say that Marc Platt is the safe pair of hands:). They do tend to give him the most important audios to write. He's a great world-builder, Platt. I really liked his prequel story Quinnis.

[Omnizoa]

I think it's highly unrealistic when you wouldn't get people of all the same weight.
You can't accept the "in the future everyone's fat" joke?

the film is completely spoilt in my view when it is revealed humanity is safe.
"Safe" meaning still trapped in idle apathy of their own orchestration?

Or safe as in not victims of some mystery apocalypse? It's one thing to say you'd have preferred a mystery, it's another to say it sucks for not maintaining one it wasn't even attempting.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I'd go further and say that Marc Platt is the safe pair of hands:). They do tend to give him the most important audios to write. He's a great world-builder, Platt. I really liked his prequel story Quinnis.

He definitely seems to be the most popular of the Big Finish writers. I'd love to see him write a new series audio drama.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

"Safe" meaning still trapped in idle apathy of their own orchestration?


Safe in revealing that they are still alive and in no real danger. I would rather what happened to our species was left up to interpretation as I think the idea of the unknown is a much deeper and more impactful concept.

[Omnizoa]

Safe in revealing that they are still alive and in no real danger. I would rather what happened to our species was left up to interpretation as I think the idea of the unknown is a much deeper and more impactful concept.
Well sure, but why would that ruin the whole movie for you?

You may as well dismiss Toy Story on the grounds that it fudged an opportunity to criticize materialism.

[Omnizoa]

And even then, the matter of taking technology for granted isn't a concept that would likely have been explored.

[SeeingisBelieving]

He definitely seems to be the most popular of the Big Finish writers. I'd love to see him write a new series audio drama.

Yeah, but a new series TV episode would be even better. Ghost Light was a fantastic story.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Web of Fear

Doctor Who has always been a show keen to explore mythological ideas, from the Trojan War in The Myth Makers to the minotaur in The God Complex. It's unsurprising, therefore, that Doctor Who has tackled the Yeti. The Yeti and the Great Intelligence were first introduced in 1967's The Abominable Snowmen and made a swift return three stories later in The Web of Fear. Whilst The Abominable Snowmen is still missing, only episode three of The Web of Fear is missing.

The plot is one of the most iconic of the classic series of Doctor Who. The Web of Fear concerns a Yeti invasion in the London Underground. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton, Victoria (Deborah Watling) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) are reunited with Professor Travers (who accidentally reactivated a Yeti, played by Jack Watling) and his daughter Anne (Tina Packer), whilst also making a new ally in Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). This serial was such an effective story for the show that it was referenced by Jon Pertwee when he took over the role of Doctor in 1970 and subsequently talked about the show's new direction to the media ("There's nothing more frightening than a Yeti on your loo in Tooting Bec").

It's hard not to see why it has had such an impact. The London Underground makes for an extremely effective setting for a base-under-seige story. There's something sinister and claustrophobic about seeing an isolated London Underground with no trains covered in webs and invaded by the Yeti behind them (they are able to create the webs with a gun). The set designer David Myerscough-Jones did such a good job at creating the look of the Underground that it looks like they actually filmed the serial at an Underground Station: except they didn't, as stated in the Complete History.

It is such a shame that episode three of this serial is missing, considering it introduced arguably the show's most iconic recurring character in Lethbridge-Stewart. Whilst the reconstruction gives you a vague idea what the third episode was like, it's really nothing more than a glorified picture slideshow and so it's hard to judge what the second Doctor and Lethbridge-Stewart's first meeting was like than if the episode had been found or animated. Nicholas Courtney is brilliant in the surviving episodes he is in however and it's not hard to see why this character went on to become one of the show's most popular. He has so much charisma onscreen and nearly overshadows Patrick Troughton's Doctor. It's interesting to note that he is a colonel at this point; when he next returns he is the Brigadier in 1968's The Invasion and in charge of UNIT.

Sadly the potential with Jack Watling's character was never fully realised. Jack Watling is great here as Professor Travers (his second appearance as the character in the show) and was set to appear in The Invasion alongside Nicholas Courtney but unfortunately he was too busy. He is a character who really deserved a third appearance and could perhaps have become nearly as iconic as Lethbridge-Stewart had he been given the chance. Jack Watling is one of the standouts of this story and has incredible chemistry with his onscreen daughter Tina Packer. It's interesting to note that in real life he was the father of Deborah Watling; it must have been weird for them playing friends rather than family.

The one element that solidifies the story's iconic status is, however, the wonderful Yeti. The Yeti are fantastic Doctor Who monsters and contain possibly the greatest quality of any iconic Doctor Who antagonist: they are scary. The Yeti play with our fears of the unknown; we have no idea what the mytholigical Yetis are like or if they even exist so when they turn up, they are absolutely terrifying. And that goes back to Jon Pertwee's quote: there's nothing more frightening than a Yeti on your loo in Tooting Bec. Truer words have never been spoken.

The greatest mystery with the Yeti is why they haven't returned in the new series. The most likely reason is rights issues; during the classic series of the show, the rights to the monsters laid with the writers rather than the BBC themselves. Mervyn Haisman's estate therefore own the rights to the characters, so it is possible that there is conflict between them and the BBC. It would certainly explain why they have used new characters such as the Snowmen, Spoonheads and Whispermen when the Great Intelligence has returned.

Yes, the Great Intelligence has proven to be a successful classic series villain. The character has so much potential as a sentient being not only able to control inanimate objects like the Yeti really are (because they're not really Yeti, basically machines that need a 'control sphere') but also with its ability to possess others' bodies to fulfil its goals. The moment near the end of the serial where the Great Intelligence tries to control the Doctor's body via a conversion headset is one of the show's finest climaxes; it's also creepy when the Great Intelligence reanimates a dead corpse in Sergeant Arnold (Jack Woolgar).

Overall, The Web of Fear is one of the show's scariest serials. The Yeti and Great Intelligence make for a terrifying threat and the London Underground is a brilliant piece of design work by David Myerscough-Jones. Nicholas Courtney is great as Lethbridge-Stewart in the surviving episodes and almost overshadows Patrick Troughton as the Doctor (no mean feat, especially when Patrick Troughton gives one of his finest performances in this serial). Deborah Watling and Frazer Hines as Victoria and Jamie are good too but Jack Watling is more often than not a scene stealer as Professor Travers and it's a shame he never got the chance to become an iconic recurring character. I would like to see the Yeti return to the show at some point but sadly because of rights issues I believe it is probably unlikely. Still, hopefully we can expect more from the Great Intelligence at some point.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Doctor Who has always been a show keen to explore mythological ideas, from the Trojan War in The Myth Makers to the minotaur in The God Complex.

I liked the Minotaur in The Mind Robber because, very unusually I think, he has a blatantly half human face! When do you ever see that in representations of the minotaur on screen? As far as I know it's always been a bull's head on a man's body.

This serial was such an effective story for the show that it was referenced by Jon Pertwee when he took over the role of Doctor in 1970 and subsequently talked about the show's new direction to the media ("There's nothing more frightening than a Yeti on your loo in Tooting Bec").

What was weird was that Jon Pertwee's first press call was with a Yeti, and I think the idea was to use them in the story that became Spearhead from Space (the parallels are obvious when you think about it). I don't know why they weren't used, unless it was because the writers were unavailable.

The set designer David Myerscough-Jones did such a good job at creating the look of the Underground that it looks like they actually filmed the serial at an Underground Station: except they didn't, as stated in the Complete History.

And didn't London Underground complain about them filming there, thinking it was real? The same may also have happened with the sewers in The Invasion.

The greatest mystery with the Yeti is why they haven't returned in the new series. The most likely reason is rights issues; during the classic series of the show, the rights to the monsters laid with the writers rather than the BBC themselves. Mervyn Haisman's estate therefore own the rights to the characters, so it is possible that there is conflict between them and the BBC. It would certainly explain why they have used new characters such as the Snowmen, Spoonheads and Whispermen when the Great Intelligence has returned.

Yeah but surely they own the Great Intelligence. It's a good shout though, because they've not appeared on audio or in anything else apart from Downtime.

I hope to see these episodes at some point in the future because it does look like a belter. I've heard the soundtrack but obviously this would have been a very action-filled story.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I liked the Minotaur in The Mind Robber because, very unusually I think, he has a blatantly half human face! When do you ever see that in representations of the minotaur on screen? As far as I know it's always been a bull's head on a man's body.
That's a good point. The Mind Robber is a very good story for black and white era special effects.

What was weird was that Jon Pertwee's first press call was with a Yeti, and I think the idea was to use them in the story that became Spearhead from Space (the parallels are obvious when you think about it). I don't know why they weren't used, unless it was because the writers were unavailable.
There was some dispute between the BBC and the writers after The Web of Fear.


And didn't London Underground complain about them filming there, thinking it was real? The same may also have happened with the sewers in The Invasion.
That's true. I don't blame them - it looks extremely realistic.


Yeah but surely they own the Great Intelligence. It's a good shout though, because they've not appeared on audio or in anything else apart from Downtime.
Maybe they're not as protective over the Great Intelligence?

I hope to see these episodes at some point in the future because it does look like a belter. I've heard the soundtrack but obviously this would have been a very action-filled story.
I really want Power of the Daleks to turn up. I'd give anything to watch that one.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Independence Day

With Independence Day: Resurgence coming out here in the UK today and those who voted to leave hailing this day as our National Independence Day, I thought it would be apt to take a look back at the first movie: simply called 'Independence Day'. It is a somewhat strange title to give to a major Hollywood blockbuster given that Independence Day is only really of significance to Americans but there's no denying that it has strong connotations attached to it: connotations of power, freedom and...apparently alien invasions. The film came out in 1996 and was a surprise blockbuster success. It's little surprise it got a sequel, even if it took twenty years for one to be released.

The film sees satellite technician David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) and army pilot Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) team up to stop an alien threat when an extraterrestrial mothership appears in Earth's orbit and sends thirty six smaller spacecraft to hover around the world's major cities and military bases. An all-out war ensues between humanity and the aliens; of course humanity wins and the aliens are defeated.

And that sums up my problem with the film. It's all very cliche. The aliens don't come in peace, we fight them, humanity wins etc... Oh, and of course the aliens are defeated on America's Independence Day. Bet you didn't see that coming. I'm not sure why this film is often considered a classic; there's nothing particularly original about it. Whilst I am a fan of science fiction, this film is very generic and straightforward in its plot and there's nothing to set it apart from other movies of the genre. I feel like I've seen it all before and there's no real unique angle to it.

The only moment that truly made me go 'wow' compared to other films of the sci-fi genre was when the alien ship destroyed the White House - and that was shown in the trailers anyway. Still, it was a very impactful shot masterfully constructed by digital effects producer Tricia Henry Ashford. It is incredible how the spaceship takes up the entire top half of the frame and the blue light striking the building puts some of today's effects to shame.

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/scottmendelson/files/2015/06/independence-day-white-house-explode.jpg

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying Independence Day is a bad movie, it's just not a film that stands out as much as people claim. It is entertaining to watch and I imagine it would have made a good popcorn blockbuster at the cinema but it doesn't offer much substance. The characters are blandly sketched (of course, as Bill Pullman plays the president he has to give a cheesy 'big uplifting speech') and there's nothing to particularly make you care for them. Even Jeff Goldblum, as brilliant as he is in the film, can't save his character from appearing rather lifeless.

The only true highlight among the film's cast is Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller. Captain Steven Hiller is a very fun and engaging character to watch; he has a number of brilliant wisecracks such as 'just a little anxious to get up there and whoop E.T.'s ass'. This is the kind of role Will Smith is brilliant at playing and it's not hard to see why Independence Day was one of the films that helped launch his career. He has so much likeability onscreen and is the one character in the movie you truly invest in.

Overall Independence Day isn't a bad movie, it's just overly hyped and full of a number of predictable cliches. The plot is very generic and there is nothing about the film that particularly stands out over the other science-fiction movies out there. Every character other than Captain Steven Hiller is bland and lifeless, which is one of the reasons why I doubt I'll ever watch the sequel. I'm not sure how a second Independence Day could be anything other than tedious without Will Smith to add much needed charisma to it. The best moment of the film is the alien ship destroying the White House and that was shown in the trailers anyway.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

I really want Power of the Daleks to turn up. I'd give anything to watch that one.

It sounds incredible as well. I love the way Patrick Troughton plays the Doctor in it; very different to how we think of him generally. Victory of the Daleks drew heavily on both that and Dalek too.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

It sounds incredible as well. I love the way Patrick Troughton plays the Doctor in it; very different to how we think of him generally. Victory of the Daleks drew heavily on both that and Dalek too.

Victory of the Daleks doesn't get enough praise. Too many hate it purely because it saw the introduction of the Paradigm Daleks but other than those dreadful knew Dalek designs, it's actually a really good story.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Victory of the Daleks doesn't get enough praise. Too many hate it purely because it saw the introduction of the Paradigm Daleks but other than those dreadful knew Dalek designs, it's actually a really good story.

The Paradigm Dalek design was fine as far as I was concerned, apart from the height and the silly bright colours (aimed at kids I assume – Colin Baker's loving the fact that his action figure is the most popular:p).

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Paradigm Dalek design was fine as far as I was concerned, apart from the height and the silly bright colours (aimed at kids I assume – Colin Baker's loving the fact that his action figure is the most popular:p).

They just never seemed superior to the RTD Daleks to me at all. Says a lot when they later brought the RTD Daleks back.

[SeeingisBelieving]

They just never seemed superior to the RTD Daleks to me at all. Says a lot when they later brought the RTD Daleks back.

The 2005 Daleks bugged me for the same reasons – they looked like toys. Not only that, the decision to cover them in nuts and bolts made them look like they'd be assembled in someone's garage rather than on another planet, which I'm convinced is the reason why Ray Cusick called them an "earthly interpretation" of his original design. I'm pretty sure the Paradigm versions dispensed with this feature.

What really worked about the 2005 Daleks was the development of the Daleks' onscreen capabilities. The way the upper body could turn for example, visually presenting them like functioning mobile weapons. They've never been better than in Dalek and it's just a shame that the budget couldn't stretch to seeing them the same ever since.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Iron Legion

Doctor Who Magazine first debuted as Doctor Who Weekly in 1979; right from the start, it included my favourite magazine feature to date: the comic strip. Back in the 70s, the comic strip was weekly and technically within the Marvel Comics canon (this was before Panini bought Marvel UK, who originally owned the publication). Yep, the Doctor was in the same universe as Iron Man and Captain America. The first Doctor Who Weekly story was The Iron Legion and is considered to be a Doctor Who comic strip classic.

As someone who didn't start reading Doctor Who Magazine until 2011, it is strange to see the words 'Stan Lee Presents' above some of The Iron Legion comic strips. To think that the famous comics genius behind the likes of the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man once contributed to Doctor Who comic strips is incredible and you can see clear Marvel influence throughout. In The Iron Legion, the fourth Doctor arrives in a parallel universe where the Roman Empire never fell and instead conquered the galaxy with their army of robots commanded by General Ironicus. The Doctor teams up with old robot Vesuvius and ex-gladiator Morris to overthrow the empire and Emperor Adolphus's 'mother' Magog (revealed to be a member of an alien race called the Malevilus, who helped the Romans in providing the technology for the robots).

The most obvious Marvel Comics influence is the design of the Iron Legion robots of the title. They bare a striking resemblance to the Sentinels (robots who hunt mutants):

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/1/14/Doctor_Who_and_the_Iron_Legion_1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150824144303

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/avengersalliance/images/d/d7/M_Series_Sentinel_Marvel_XP.png/revision/latest?cb=20120507063051

And then there's also the way it is written, with character monologues and the way the description boxes effortlessly set the scene:

https://wilsonknut.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/p00015.png

That's one of my favourite things about Marvel compared to DC: they are much stronger at providing the context and establishing early on the narrative of the piece. It helps considerably to immerse you into the action. Before I go any further, I must stress that the comic strip is in black and white and the above picture is from a colourised version that was released in the U.S.

The narrative itself is one big, epic saga; it utilises the comic strip medium to the advantage by using a story that will likely never be able to be achieved onscreen. It would take a considerable budget to realise the Doctor's gladitorial fight with the Ectoslime or the robot flying squad.I doubt even the new series would be able to afford to realise those scenes. Doctor Who comic strips on the other hand don't have to worry about budgeting; this story is therefore exactly the kind Doctor Who comic strips should be exploring.

General Ironicus and the robots feel like a very credible threat for the Doctor too and at many times during the narrative you wonder how he is going to win. The odds seem firmly stacked against him (especially considering he has just come from his universe's Earth the robots managed to invade) and that's a quality that can be found in some of the best Doctor Who stories. Sometimes the Doctor is at his best when he is the underdog as opposed to an all-conquering God-like figure. When he fights Magog during the story's conclusion, it actually looks like he's going to lose. Magog appears to be in the most power as the Doctor explains the TARDIS controls, which makes the conclusion all the more appealing when his trickery concerning a certain button he is hiding is revealed.

It's a shame that they didn't decide to keep Vesuvius on as a comic strip companion as he is a fantastic character and I have a feeling he could have gone to be as popular as the shape-shifting penguin Frobisher. Vesuvius is endearing as a cranky old robot and has one of the best comic strip catchphrases in 'these days'. Like Frobisher, his eccentric quality suits the Doctor Who comic strip perfectly and whilst on TV he would probably come across as annoying in the comics format he offers a fun dynamic with the Doctor. For this Doctor in particular he feels like a well-suited supporting character; let's not forget this is the Doctor who asked for a talking cabbage as his companion.

If there's one thing that doesn't quite work for this story, it's the black and white aesthetic. Due to the cost of colour during the 1970s, all Doctor Who Weekly comics were published in black and white and to this story it feels detrimental. There's so much going on in the panels that sometimes it can be hard to follow without colour as a visual guide. My copy of The Iron Legion is a part of the Collected Comics offered to premium subscribers as part of the Doctor Who Complete History partwork collection; unfortunately they opted for the Panini Doctor Who Magazine reprints rather than the Dave Gibbons Collection colourisation. In colour I imagine the story would work much better.

Overall, The Iron Legion is a fantastic use of the comic strip medium to tell a narrative that the TV series would not be able to do with their allocated budget. The story feels suitably epic with strong opposition for the Doctor and a brilliant supporting character in Vesuvius who really should have been made a comics companion. My only negative point is that the black and white aesthetic can make the story hard to follow; however there is a colourisation version available as part of The Dave Gibbons Collection if the black and white styling puts you off.

4.5

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Flushed Away

I am a big fan of Aardman Animations; I think they're films have a wonderful sense of charm and it's clear they spend a lot of time on offering a quality movie experience. Aardman's first computer-animated movie was therefore of interest to me; I was intrigued to see how the same charm would come across in a CGI-animated film compared to their plasticine efforts.

Flushed Away was a continuation of Aardman's collaboration with Dreamworks Animation at the time. The story follows Rodney (Hugh Jackman), an upper class mouse who accidentally ends up flushed down the toilet by Sid (Shane Richie), a mouse of the working class. Rodney must team up with entrepreneur mouse Rita Malone (Kate Winslet) in order to stop the evil Toad's (Ian McKellan) plan to flood the rat's underground city in the sewage.

It's not a bad animated film (there's certainly a lot worse out there) but equally it's not quite to Aardman's best. The story seems to have more influence from Dreamworks Animation than Aardman themselves; it's a bit silly and clearly aimed more at kids than families unlike Aardman's other films. That said, there is a surprisingly adult exploration of racism through the Toad's hatred of rodents. I'm not sure how I feel about the working class being treated like idiots through the character of Sid though. Is it right that to say that because we're not rich enough to be of a higher class we're mindless and stupid?

The film loses the Aardman charm somewhat too by opting for CGI animation as opposed to stop-motion. The models do accurately represent Aardman-style characters but they look too clean and computer animated to keep the raw magic of plasticine figures intereacting with each other. It's like if Wallace & Gromit was computer animated: it wouldn't quite feel like a Wallace & Gromit movie, even though you know it's a Wallace & Gromit film. I can see why they later moved back to animation; it's good that these companies experiment but this one didn't quite hit the mark.

Still, the voice-acting is good. Hugh Jackman is effortlessly lovable as Rodney; he feels like a perfect choice for the character. Ian McKellan is of cause amazing as Toad too; he is great at voicing the villainous characters in animated movies as his voice has the natural booming quality to make them appear threatening whilst maintaining that essential cartoon-like quality. The voice cast just feel wasted on this film; I would rather have seen them lend their voices to a Wallace & Gromit film than a movie that was always going to be decisive due to the way it deviates from Aardman's natural animation style.

For a film company's first CGI animation, it is surprisingly impressive. Aardman would no doubt have been helped by the animation team at Dreamworks but the resulting piece is strong considering they are more used to stop-motion and whilst it's not the best CGI animation out there, the wacky cartoon style suits the narrative well. It feels like a cross between Danger Mouse and Looney Tunes; very animated with cartoony backgrounds but with a certain sophistication at play too. I still prefer the animation and environments of stop-motion films by Aardman but you've got to admire how good their first attempt at a CGI animated movie looks visually.

Overall, Flushed Away isn't a terrible animated movie by any means but it's not quite up to Aardman's usual standards. The narrative is a bit silly compared to the broader more family-orientated stories of Wallace & Gromit however compared to other animated films it's passable. It's great that these companies experiment with things that don't fit their in-house style and whilst this experiment doesn't quite work, the animation is impressive for a company doing it for the first time. It's nice that they still kept the same character designs they use for the plasticine figures and the voice acting is good (especially Hugh Jackman as Rodney); it's just a shame that by going for the CGI animated movie option the film loses its signature Aardman charm. I'm glad that they opted not to return to CGI animation and focus on stop-motion films instead as for Aardman Animations, stop-motion films are definitely the way to go.

3

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Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth

Doctor Who hasn't had much look with videogames. Despite being a hugely popular show both worldwide and in the UK, often its games are heavily criticised for their graphics and gameplay. When Asylum Entertainment were given the license in 2010, there wasn't much hope in the Whovian fanbase for a decent game. Indeed, one of their games - Return To Earth - was slammed by the critics. The other - the one I'm reviewing today - got more of a lukewarm response.

Regardless of what you say about either game, they both have strong narratives that feel like they could come from an episode of the show. Evacuation Earth sees the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) arrive at the Lake District, as humanity is about to flee the Earth as the planet has become inhabitable due to solar flares. Suddenly the TARDIS is brought aboard the SS Lucy Gray, forcing the Doctor and Amy to board. They end up helping the humans onboard with problems with their ship and encounter Silurians and Daleks along the way. The neat thing about these games is they both tie into each other. Evacuation Earth sees the SS Lucy Gray take off, whilst Return To Earth is the ship's return to...you guessed it, Earth.

The idea to make a Doctor Who game puzzle-orientated is brilliant too. The Professor Layton style works brilliantly for Doctor Who, given that the Doctor often resorts to puzzle solving rather than violent measures. It fits the Doctor's character as a pacifist perfectly. The only problem is some of the puzzles are a bit too easy and would only really be hard to primary school children. This is understandable with early games such as piecing the Sonic Screwdriver back together because they have to take it slowly to ease you into game but when the later puzzles are easy too the lack of challenge could make the game potentially drag for some players.

The game is also a little short; there are only four chapters and ninety eight puzzles. That may seem like a lot to those who don't play a lot of puzzle games but for comparison, Professor Layton and the Curious Village has one hundred and thirty five puzzles and nine chapters. Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth can be completed in about three hours; Professor Layton on the other hand about eleven hours. I am sure they could have expanded the story more for Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth so it could have eleven chapters, especially when the game was full price upon release.

Fortunately unlike some of the other Doctor Who videogame efforts the graphics are strong. The game has captured Matt Smith and Karen Gillan's likenesses perfectly and the TARDIS interior looks stunning.

https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/article-1289842212876-0c15a073000005dc-51727_466x337.jpg

It feels almost as though Nintendo themselves have made the graphics in this game. They are stunning and put many other licensed videogame graphics to shame.

I am glad they managed to get Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Nicholas Briggs to voice the Doctor, Amy and the Daleks too. It helps the game to feel authentic, almost as though playing through an episode of the show. Matt Smith and Karen Gillan both naturally bounce off each other, especially during the opening scene when Amy Pond mishears the Lake District as the 'Larkhead Streaked'. Thankfully Matt Smith loses none of his oomph when he delivers his speech to the humans and Silurians about working together; it feels just as epic and awesome as it would during one of his epic speeches in the show. The Silurians sound laughably macho though, like they got Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to voice them as an alien race of buff bodyguards. If only they'd got Neve McIntosh to provide their voices instead...

Overall, Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth is one of the better Doctor Who videogames. The narrative feels like a Doctor Who episode and the gameplay is perfect for the show's message of peaceful solutions over guns and brawn. The graphics are incredible. Unfortunately, the puzzles offer little challenge and the game is too short, with only four chapters meaning you can finish the game in a day. It's great that they managed to get Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Nicholas Briggs onboard though.

3

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Les Miserables

Given that it is one of my favourite movies, it is a surprise that I haven't yet reviewed the 2012 film adaptation of the musical Les Miserables. Whilst there had been an adaptation of the book before, this version was based entirely on the more well-known West End production; a production that I am a huge fan of after seeing it on a Secondary school trip to London in 2012.

Les Miserables tells the story of prison convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who is released on parole by Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe). Jean is unable to find work or accommodation due to his criminal status but is offered a place to stay by the kindly Bishop (Colm Wilkinson). When he is discovered stealing silvers from the Bishop's church, he is captured by the constables; fortunately, the Bishop claims he gave them to him as a gift and tells Jean to become an 'honest man'. Jean begins a new life as mayor of Montreuil and upon finding factory worker Fantine (Anne Hathaway) close to death following work as a prostitute in order to raise money to care for her child Cosette (who grows up to become Amanda Seyfried). When she sadly passes away, he agrees to look after her child and in order to do so must avoid being sent back to prison by Javert, who has been hunting him down since he broke parole.

I never thought the West End version could ever be topped but this film comes remarkably close. The movie version of Les Miserables loses none of the emotional trauma of the West End version and is thankfully just as depressing a watch; you deeply care for the characters and the hell they are going through. I mean, if you don't cry at the young boy Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone)'s death in the heart of the French Revolution then you must be inhuman. This isn't a film for the emotionally unstable and neither is the play but given the subject matter of the French Revolution and poverty of the time it needs to be a traumatic experience. And this film certainly is traumatic. It's weird just how immersive the story is; you really feel like you know these characters - it's almost like they're your relatives and you're seeing close family die onscreen.

One thing I'm really glad with about the film adaptation of the musical is how they opted for a stagey feel. The film is frequently told through close-ups of the characters' faces and in my opinion helps to establish an intimate and personal relationship between the viewer and onscreen events. It is perhaps the element that most helps to add that strong connection between viewer and character. By using close-ups, it feels like the characters are singing directly to us especially during scenes where the characters are singing to themselves (such as Marius (Eddie Redmayne) singing Empty Chairs At Empty Tables).

As for the singing, it was a genius idea by director Danny Boyle to have the singing done live rather than recorded in a studio. This is the first time a musical has been filmed with live singing and it helps with an emotional film like Les Miserables to allow the singing to feel raw rather than manufactured. The emotions feel real; nothing about the way they sing seems forced. It all just flows and I don't feel this would have been achieved as well had the songs been recorded beforehand.

Many complain about Russell Crowe's singing but I actually think he sounds pretty good. He is nowhere near as bad as some try to claim and is certainly a lot better when compared to Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia. Hugh Jackman has an amazing singing ability, especially during his versions of Who Am I and Epilogue. The standouts are by far Amanda Seyfried and Anne Hathaway however: Amanda Seyfried has an absolutely beautiful singing voice and her version of A Heart Full Of Love is brilliant, whilst Anne Hathaway offers arguably the best version of I Dreamed A Dream (an Oscar winning performance for the hugely talented actor).

The one CGI effect at the beginning of the huge ship being pulled into dock by the prison convicts is so believable that you don't even realise it's a special effect until you look it up. The CGI was done by Jarrod Avalos from Lola VFX and it has to be one of the most convincing the movie industry has ever seen. The actual sequence was filmed in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and is barely recognisable as the setting from the film:

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/l/t31.0-8/10580949_889594877735126_1821285531273223909_o.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6jp_MKI_6w

Overall, Les Miserables is a movie masterpiece and deserves to be recognised as one of the best musical adaptations of all time. The film accurately portrays the emotional rollercoaster of the West End musical and uses a brilliant stagey feel with the camera work; Director of Photography Danny Cohen has done an outstanding job of capturing the feel of watching the West End Musical, offering both an immersive and personal experience. When the characters die, it feels like saying goodbye to a close family member. The decision by Danny Boyle for all the singing to be done live was a clever one that helps maintain the raw emotion of the incredible singing by the likes of Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried...and yes, Russell Crowe. Kudos to Jarrod Avalos of Lola VFX too for the stunning CGI at the beginning of the film.

5

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Planet of the Spiders

There's one thing I find strange about Planet of the Spiders. The 1974 Doctor Who serial was the regeneration story of the much beloved third Doctor (played by Jon Pertwee), yet for some reason it is very rarely discussed among the Whovian fandom. It almost seems to have been abandoned by the fanbase; even Invasion of the Dinosaurs is talked about more than this serial. In my opinion, this serial definitely doesn't deserve to be forgotten.

Planet of the Spiders is arguably Doctor Who's first example of a series finale. It sees a number of elements from Jon Pertwee's time on the show resolved including the Metebilis 3 crystal and Mike Yates' (Richard Franklyn) betrayal, so not only is the story frequently ignored but it has arguably had a major influence over the new series and the way everything is resolved in a finale.

In Planet of the Spiders, the mutated giant spiders known as the 'Eight Legs' are seeking the Doctor's Metebilis 3 crystal in order to achieve universal domination. The Doctor is the only one who can stop them; he must confront the Eight Legs' leader The Great One and face the possible death of his current incarnation in order to save the day.

One of the things that made Jon Pertwee's era so brilliant was the concept of threats close to home as the villains. It is therefore genius that for his last adventure, the villains are something we recognise from our own planet that many find frightening: I am of course talking about spiders. This serial is wise in its decision to follow in the steps of The Green Death (featuring giant maggots) and The Mutants (giant insects), both highly regarded among Whovians. It wouldn't feel right for Jon Pertwee's last serial if the story's antagonists weren't similar earth-like creatures, although it is a shame that Roger Degaldo's Master couldn't have featured in his last story as originally planned- sadly Roger Degaldo died in a car crash in 1973. The Eight Legs may not be the most convincing Doctor Who prop but the classic series isn't about the special effects anyway, it's about the narrative and having an adventure with the Doctor. And there was never a more exciting adventure during Jon Pertwee's era than when he tackled monsters close to home.

The decision to include a chase sequence with the Whomobile and Bessie is also to be applauded. These two vehicles are synonymous with the third Doctor era of the show and it is nice that they got the send-off they deserved along with this incarnation of the Doctor. Bessie in particular is a car you can't imagine with any other incarnation and a big part of this era. The chase sequence represents everything people like about Jon Pertwee's Doctor; he is essentially Doctor Bond during an era of television where there were a lot of spy dramas and undercover cop shows. It helps that the scene is wonderfully executed by director Barry Letts; it's one of those scenes in the classic series where arguably you cannot tell the show was working on a shoestring budget.

It's nice to see Mike Yates redeemed by alerting the Doctor and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) to the strange goings-on at the Buddhist meditation centre. It feels natural and in-character for Mike Yates to want to redeem himself and it's nice to see a signature UNIT personnel who was a big part of this incarnation's time on Earth become firmly on the side of good again after betraying UNIT in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Mike feels as much like a Doctor Who companion as Liz, Jo or Sarah and perhaps one day Adam Mitchell will get a similar redemption story (although I would love to see Adam as an antagonist at some point akin to the role he plays in the comic series Prisoners of Time).

Despite the serial's forgotten nature, its ending is arguably one of the most iconic regeneration sequences in the show's history. It deserves to be. The third Doctor's regeneration is bittersweet and heart-wrenching without the need for Murray Gold music or a sobbing David Tennant. The emotion is dealt with in a subtle way and whilst I personally love the tenth Doctor's regeneration scene, I can also appreciate how this sequence is not quite so 'in your face' about how you're supposed to feel. All this sequence needs is four simple words - 'A tear, Sarah Jane?' - and it immediately sells the emotional weight of the scene. A lot of it is down to Jon Pertwee's stunning delivery but it wouldn't have worked without Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, who if you didn't know Sarah Jane was a character you'd think genuinely believed in real life that Jon Pertwee was going to die. Of course, he doesn't die - he regenerates into Tom Baker - but Sarah doesn't know that and Elisabeth Sladen plays it brilliantly.

Overall, Planet of the Spiders is a brilliant and sadly often-overlooked Jon Pertwee serial, especially for Jon Pertwee's regeneration story. The story encompasses everything that made the Pertwee era of the show special, from the Earth-like appearance of the monsters (an approach later taken to the new series by Russell T Davies) to the vehicles that quickly became synonymous with Jon Pertwee's portrayal: namely Bessie and the Whomobile. The decision to have Mike Yates redeemed in the story is a good one and the story contains one of the show's best regeneration scenes that shows you can provide raw emotion without Vale Decem and David Tennant crying on cue.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Planet of the Spiders

There's one thing I find strange about Planet of the Spiders. The 1974 Doctor Who serial was the regeneration story of the much beloved third Doctor (played by Jon Pertwee), yet for some reason it is very rarely discussed among the Whovian fandom. It almost seems to have been abandoned by the fanbase; even Invasion of the Dinosaurs is talked about more than this serial. In my opinion, this serial definitely doesn't deserve to be forgotten.

Yeah, I think that's true – it is very rarely discussed.

Planet of the Spiders is arguably Doctor Who's first example of a series finale. It sees a number of elements from Jon Pertwee's time on the show resolved including the Metebilis 3 crystal and Mike Yates' (Richard Franklyn) betrayal, so not only is the story frequently ignored but it has arguably had a major influence over the new series and the way everything is resolved in a finale.

Yeah, I suppose it is the first proper series finale. The War Games was a bit of a cobbled together rush job and it's the various ongoing things like the crystal and Mike Yates' story that make it a consciously designed final story.

although it is a shame that Roger Degaldo's Master couldn't have featured in his last story as originally planned- sadly Roger Degaldo died in a car crash in 1973.

I know that Delgado wanted to leave as he felt 'typed' and of course wasn't in the series as a full regular in the way he had been. As I understand it the idea was to bring the Master back and have him die saving the Doctor's life. They would have also possibly revealed that the Doctor and the Master were brothers (we know they used to be friends).

I don't know whether it was the intention to have this as the last story, as they probably didn't know Pertwee would be going when the season was being thought about.

I still find it really odd that Letts and Dicks never considered regenerating the Master – almost as if they'd forgotten they could do it:). I once did a poll to find out which actor everyone thought would have got the job if they'd simply recast the Master (rather than going the cadaverous Master route) and Ian McDiarmid won (amusingly a very similar actor to Geoffrey Beevers:)).

Despite the serial's forgotten nature, its ending is arguably one of the most iconic regeneration sequences in the show's history. It deserves to be. The third Doctor's regeneration is bittersweet and heart-wrenching without the need for Murray Gold music or a sobbing David Tennant. The emotion is dealt with in a subtle way and whilst I personally love the tenth Doctor's regeneration scene, I can also appreciate how this sequence is not quite so 'in your face' about how you're supposed to feel. All this sequence needs is four simple words - 'A tear, Sarah Jane?' - and it immediately sells the emotional weight of the scene. A lot of it is down to Jon Pertwee's stunning delivery but it wouldn't have worked without Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, who if you didn't know Sarah Jane was a character you'd think genuinely believed in real life that Jon Pertwee was going to die. Of course, he doesn't die - he regenerates into Tom Baker - but Sarah doesn't know that and Elisabeth Sladen plays it brilliantly.

Yeah, it's a good moment. Very subtle.

The story encompasses everything that made the Pertwee era of the show special, from the Earth-like appearance of the monsters (an approach later taken to the new series by Russell T Davies) to the vehicles that quickly became synonymous with Jon Pertwee's portrayal: namely Bessie and the Whomobile. The decision to have Mike Yates redeemed in the story is a good one and the story contains one of the show's best regeneration scenes that shows you can provide raw emotion without Vale Decem and David Tennant crying on cue.]

You know what I think about Earth-like monsters – good in moderation. There were also plenty of really good Space-aliens to be had during this era and that's how it should be.

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I still find it really odd that Letts and Dicks never considered regenerating the Master – almost as if they'd forgotten they could do it:). I once did a poll to find out which actor everyone thought would have got the job if they'd simply recast the Master (rather than going the cadaverous Master route) and Ian McDiarmid won (amusingly a very similar actor to Geoffrey Beevers:)).
My guess is they probably felt it was too soon to recast. After all, they were good friends with Roger Degaldo.

You know what I think about Earth-like monsters – good in moderation. There were also plenty of really good Space-aliens to be had during this era and that's how it should be.
That's true. I find the monsters of the Pertwee-era closer to home the most memorable though.

[SeeingisBelieving]

My guess is they probably felt it was too soon to recast. After all, they were good friends with Roger Degaldo.

Ah, but they knew he wanted to leave before the accident. It's that they could have changed the actor but it was as if it didn't occur to them. Or maybe they felt that Delgado was so indelibly the Master that it was preferable and more dramatic to kill him off in the way they planned?

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Ah, but they knew he wanted to leave before the accident. It's that they could have changed the actor but it was as if it didn't occur to them. Or maybe they felt that Delgado was so indelibly the Master that it was preferable and more dramatic to kill him off in the way they planned?

He was probably the only one they could imagine in the role at the time. And who can blame them? He is still the Master to many.

[SeeingisBelieving]

He was probably the only one they could imagine in the role at the time. And who can blame them? He is still the Master to many.

Actually what is quite interesting is that Barry Letts hadn't cast a Doctor yet, only the companion. Pertwee and John were cast before he arrived so the process of replacing the Doctor at least was something he hadn't encountered yet. Maybe if he had, the concept of a new actor for the Master wouldn't have been so unthinkable.

I love Delgado and he's my favourite, but I like change and seeing different versions of the same character. Geoffrey Beevers is so different to him, maybe the most different of all the other interpretations, so that's great and I wish we'd had more of it.

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Geoffrey Beevers is so different to him, maybe the most different of all the other interpretations, so that's great and I wish we'd had more of it.

At least we have the beauty of Big Finish for things like that.

[SeeingisBelieving]

At least we have the beauty of Big Finish for things like that.

Yeah, Big Finish has been massive for Doctor Who, massive. To me they were the new series and I got so much more enjoyment from their output in the early days.

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Yeah, Big Finish has been massive for Doctor Who, massive. To me they were the new series and I got so much more enjoyment from their output in the early days.

It has only grown since they got the new series and Torchwood licenses. The next novel adaptation Cold Fusion with the fifth and seventh Doctors should be great.

[SeeingisBelieving]

It has only grown since they got the new series and Torchwood licenses. The next novel adaptation Cold Fusion with the fifth and seventh Doctors should be great.

It had a nice cover, Cold Fusion. I forget whether it was Alister Peason but it was still decent. He did a brilliant one for the Sixth Doctor book Burning Heart where he gave the Doctor a horrible cravat with tiny little – I think it was strawberries – all over it:).

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It had a nice cover, Cold Fusion. I forget whether it was Alister Peason but it was still decent. He did a brilliant one for the Sixth Doctor book Burning Heart where he gave the Doctor a horrible cravat with tiny little – I think it was strawberries – all over it:).

I like this cover:

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/d/de/NA060_lungbarrow.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20061124180125

[SeeingisBelieving]

I like this cover:

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/d/de/NA060_lungbarrow.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20061124180125

Yeah, it was good. I like Sylv's hat.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Yeah, it was good. I like Sylv's hat.

I wish Matt Smith had been given the chance to wear that hat.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I wish Matt Smith had been given the chance to wear that hat.

I didn't like the stetson, although I've never seen the episodes where he wore it.

[gbgoodies]

Les Miserables

Given that it is one of my favourite movies, it is a surprise that I haven't yet reviewed the 2012 film adaptation of the musical Les Miserables. Whilst there had been an adaptation of the book before, this version was based entirely on the more well-known West End production; a production that I am a huge fan of after seeing it on a Secondary school trip to London in 2012.

Les Miserables tells the story of prison convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who is released on parole by Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe). Jean is unable to find work or accommodation due to his criminal status but is offered a place to stay by the kindly Bishop (Colm Wilkinson). When he is discovered stealing silvers from the Bishop's church, he is captured by the constables; fortunately, the Bishop claims he gave them to him as a gift and tells Jean to become an 'honest man'. Jean begins a new life as mayor of Montreuil and upon finding factory worker Fantine (Anne Hathaway) close to death following work as a prostitute in order to raise money to care for her child Cosette (who grows up to become Amanda Seyfried). When she sadly passes away, he agrees to look after her child and in order to do so must avoid being sent back to prison by Javert, who has been hunting him down since he broke parole.

I never thought the West End version could ever be topped but this film comes remarkably close. The movie version of Les Miserables loses none of the emotional trauma of the West End version and is thankfully just as depressing a watch; you deeply care for the characters and the hell they are going through. I mean, if you don't cry at the young boy Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone)'s death in the heart of the French Revolution then you must be inhuman. This isn't a film for the emotionally unstable and neither is the play but given the subject matter of the French Revolution and poverty of the time it needs to be a traumatic experience. And this film certainly is traumatic. It's weird just how immersive the story is; you really feel like you know these characters - it's almost like they're your relatives and you're seeing close family die onscreen.

One thing I'm really glad with about the film adaptation of the musical is how they opted for a stagey feel. The film is frequently told through close-ups of the characters' faces and in my opinion helps to establish an intimate and personal relationship between the viewer and onscreen events. It is perhaps the element that most helps to add that strong connection between viewer and character. By using close-ups, it feels like the characters are singing directly to us especially during scenes where the characters are singing to themselves (such as Marius (Eddie Redmayne) singing Empty Chairs At Empty Tables).

As for the singing, it was a genius idea by director Danny Boyle to have the singing done live rather than recorded in a studio. This is the first time a musical has been filmed with live singing and it helps with an emotional film like Les Miserables to allow the singing to feel raw rather than manufactured. The emotions feel real; nothing about the way they sing seems forced. It all just flows and I don't feel this would have been achieved as well had the songs been recorded beforehand.

Many complain about Russell Crowe's singing but I actually think he sounds pretty good. He is nowhere near as bad as some try to claim and is certainly a lot better when compared to Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia. Hugh Jackman has an amazing singing ability, especially during his versions of Who Am I and Epilogue. The standouts are by far Amanda Seyfried and Anne Hathaway however: Amanda Seyfried has an absolutely beautiful singing voice and her version of A Heart Full Of Love is brilliant, whilst Anne Hathaway offers arguably the best version of I Dreamed A Dream (an Oscar winning performance for the hugely talented actor).

The one CGI effect at the beginning of the huge ship being pulled into dock by the prison convicts is so believable that you don't even realise it's a special effect until you look it up. The CGI was done by Jarrod Avalos from Lola VFX and it has to be one of the most convincing the movie industry has ever seen. The actual sequence was filmed in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and is barely recognisable as the setting from the film:

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/l/t31.0-8/10580949_889594877735126_1821285531273223909_o.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6jp_MKI_6w

Overall, Les Miserables is a movie masterpiece and deserves to be recognised as one of the best musical adaptations of all time. The film accurately portrays the emotional rollercoaster of the West End musical and uses a brilliant stagey feel with the camera work; Director of Photography Danny Cohen has done an outstanding job of capturing the feel of watching the West End Musical, offering both an immersive and personal experience. When the characters die, it feels like saying goodbye to a close family member. The decision by Danny Boyle for all the singing to be done live was a clever one that helps maintain the raw emotion of the incredible singing by the likes of Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried...and yes, Russell Crowe. Kudos to Jarrod Avalos of Lola VFX too for the stunning CGI at the beginning of the film.

5


I saw Les Misérables on Broadway with Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, and I loved it, so I was thrilled when I heard that they were making a movie version of the musical. I was also thrilled when I heard that Hugh Jackman was starring in the movie because he's a great actor, and a great singer.

I love the movie version almost as much as the Broadway musical, but I'm one of the people who complains about Russell Crowe's singing. He's a great actor, but I would have preferred someone with a better singing voice in that role. Other than Crowe, I think they did a great job casting the movie, and seeing Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop was great too.

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I didn't like the stetson, although I've never seen the episodes where he wore it.

I liked the stetson and it works within the U.S. setting of The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon (one of my favourite Moffat era two parters). He also wore the stetson again in A Town Called Mercy.

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I saw Les Misérables on Broadway with Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, and I loved it, so I was thrilled when I heard that they were making a movie version of the musical. I was also thrilled when I heard that Hugh Jackman was starring in the movie because he's a great actor, and a great singer.

I love the movie version almost as much as the Broadway musical, but I'm one of the people who complains about Russell Crowe's singing. He's a great actor, but I would have preferred someone with a better singing voice in that role. Other than Crowe, I think they did a great job casting the movie, and seeing Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop was great too.

I think it's great how they kept a lot of the cast from the stage musical performances of Les Miserables. Samantha Barks for example was Eponine in both the West End and film Les Mis and a lot of the minor characters/extras were played by people from various stage musical productions.

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SpaceCamp

SpaceCamp is a film I stumbled across by accident. I was flicking through the channels, trying to find something decent to watch...when suddenly I came across a film that intrigued me. Straight away I could tell there was something special about this movie and it wasn't long until I was well and truly hooked.

Now I'm not going to claim it's a masterpiece because it's not. But what it is is a good family movie. SpaceCamp follows a group of teenagers - Kathryn (Lea Thompson), Kevin (Tate Donovan), Rudy (Larry B. Scott), Tish (Kelly Preston) and 12 year old Max (Joaquin Phoenix) who decide to go to a Space Camp at Kennedy Space Center to go through pretend astronaut training and learn about NASA with their instructor Angie Bergstorm (Kate Capshaw). Max becomes friends with a robot called Jinx (Frank Welker), who overhears him telling Kevin that he wishes he was in space. When Andie takes the teenagers to sit in the untested space shuttle Space Shuttle Atlantis, Jinx takes Max's wish seriously and launches the shuttle into space.

The narrative can be a little slow but once the group are sent into space the film's pacing improves. SpaceCamp is basically like a family version of films like Gravity and The Martian: they end up stuck in space and have to find a way home. As a kid the idea that you could accidentally find yourself transported into space on a visit to a space museum was a magical one and it was this that captivated me to watch. The film undeniably feels like a Disney movie - which I guess it kind of is, given it was made by the Disney-owned ABC.

The film wouldn't have worked without the chemistry of the leads and none of the lead actors disappoint. They're hardly the best performances in cinema but the child actors are believable as five friends who find themselves in a tricky situation. I really like Kate Capshaw too as Angie Bergstorm; she is extremely convincing as someone you would expect to work at a space centre. Kate gives Angie a certain authority to her mixed with a motherlike tendency that it's kind of surprising she isn't their mother. Frank Welker as Jinx I can give or take; he's nothing really special in the role and the robot is pretty unmemorable overall.

One thing I find surprising is that they only had a budget of $18 million. For a film with such a low budget, it looks surprisingly good. I don't know if they actually filmed it at Kennedy Space Center but if they didn't, the setting has a certain depth to it and you don't really realise that it was filmed in a studio. Similarly the inside of Space Shuttle Atlantis is a well-designed studio set even if it is obvious it was made on the cheap. The shot of Space Shuttle Atlantis looks extremely impressive; special effects coordinator Chuck Gaspar did a good job of realising it in a low budget film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwTqRc4W3lE

Director of Photography William A. Fraker has done a very good job at the 10:59 mark with the way the camera angle is distorted to give the impression of low gravity in orbit.

Overall, SpaceCamp is never going to be considered as the greatest movie of all time but what it does offer is a charming family film. Whilst the plot may be a bit slow at first, the pace soon picks up by the time they reach space and the chemistry between the leads is great. For such a low-budget film, the movie does a surprisingly good job with its set design and special effects giving a convincing if somewhat cheap aesthetic to the picture. Willaim A. Fraker also uses the camera effectively to display low gravity in orbit. SpaceCamp is a unfairly over-looked movie and it is about time it got some recognition.

4

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The Ribos Operation

From now until next Wednesday, I'm going to do something very different. Usually I review a Doctor Who serial/episode one day and a film the next but due to the nature of The Ribos Operation being the start of a quest arc instead I will be reviewing a serial from Doctor Who's Key To Time season each day.

Nowadays it seems standard for Doctor Who to tackle a series arc but during the classic series it was very uncommon. Sure, there was 1964's The Keys to Marinus but that was more of a single serial arc - it didn't take up the entire season. The only true examples in the Doctor Who's classic series of a season-long arc are The Trial of a Time Lord...and the Key to Time. And so it was the job of The Ribos Operation to introduce what the arc was about.

The idea behind the Key to Time was that in each story the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) would arrive somewhere where one of the pieces to the Key to Time is detected to be by Romana's locater. The Doctor and Romana are recruited by the White Guardian (Cyril Luckham ) to find all six segments of the Key to Time. With all six segments together, the White Guardian can restore the balance of order and chaos to the universe. They arrive on the planet Ribos, where Garron (Iain Cuthbertson) and Unstoffe (Nigel Plaskitt) are trying to sell Ribos to the ruler of planet Levithia the Graff Vynda-K (Paul Seed) by convincing him it is full of a rare and powerful mineral known as 'Jethrik'. They place a lump of the rare mineral in the glass case housing the planet's crown jewels and show the Graff, who becomes convinced the planet is a rich source for it. When the Graff realises he has been conned, the Doctor and Romana are forced to work with Garron and Unstoffe to claim the Jethrik back.

I'll admit, I was rather disappointed with this story as I expected more from the opener of a quest storyline. It is a fun tale though and typical of writer Robert Holmes' style. It is great fun the way the narrative subverts the heist genre; instead of trying to steal something FROM an unsuspecting owner, it becomes about trying to steal something BACK. This prevents the heist genre from becoming predictable, offering a fresh take that sometimes the genre could need.

The problem is that it doesn't offer any memorable conflict. The Graff is a bit of a generic threat; all he really does is order executions and understandably become extremely angry at being conned. He's certainly no threat compared to Daleks or even the Cavemen from An Unearthly Child, where you feel like the TARDIS crew are in danger. The Ribos guards seem a bit useless too. You've got to wonder who hired them considering one of them lets a complete stranger (IE the Doctor) pull their whistle away without any forcible protest. Surely a proper guard would be a bit more forceful: pull the Doctor's hand away and blow the whistle to call for the guards? The Graff's guards aren't much better either but at least they seem a bit more threatening and imposing than the guards on Ribos.

If anything makes this a Doctor Who story you have to see, it's the comical relationship between Unstoffe and Garron. Unstoffe and Garron make a brilliant double act and one that no doubt reminds some Whovians of Jago & Litefoot. They are hugely entertaining and definitely the best part of this rather average serial. Ian Cuthbertson and Nigel Plaskitt play to Robert Holmes' writing well and it's a crime that they never got the chance to record Big Finish audios. Ian Cuthbertson sadly passed away in 2009 and Nigel Plaskitt is still alive but Undtoffe without Garron like all great double acts really wouldn't work.

Also: James Purdie's lighting for this serial is very impressive, especially for the White Guardian scene. The scene with the White Guardian looks suitably dream-like and a nice almost Hawaiin-like quality that plays nicely with the ethereal quality of his being. I'd say it's definitely the best classic series serial for lighting - it prevents the show from feeling cheap even though it was made on a shoestring budget, meaning it can compete better with the blockbuster films of the time.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4lCrV4s7Avc/hqdefault.jpg

Overall, The Ribos Operation is a disappointingly average opener for a season-long story arc. There's nothing too special to be found here, however it can be applauded for its inventiveness with the lighting and subversion of the heist genre. The double act between the characters of Unstoffe and Garron is brilliant too, it's just a pity that the story offers little in the way of conflict for the Doctor, Romana, Unstoffe and Garron. The Gaff is certainly not going to be considered one of Doctor Who's greatest villains anytime soon.

3

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The Pirate Planet

The first segment to the Key to Time quest may have been a little underwhelming but thankfully the quality picked up with the next part. The Pirate Planet is a serial by one of Doctor Who's best writers Douglas Adams - yes, the same Douglas Adams who wrote Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - and represents the very eccentricity that to me defines what Doctor Who as a show is.

I absolutely adore The Pirate Planet and to me it is definitely the high point of the Key to Time saga. The Pirate Planet finds the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the planet Calufrax to find a population who live in never-ending extreme wealth. They are given wealth by the planet's ruler the pirate captain of the title (Bruce Purchase); the Doctor doesn't trust him and decides to confront him, where he finds out that the captain mines planets for their mineral wealth and keeps their compressed remains as trophies. The Doctor and Romana must stop the Captain from compressing the Earth as well as find the second segment to the Key to Time.

The Pirate Planet is delightfully barmy and that's why it works so well. It's hugely entertaining with its bonkers narrative and larger than life characters reminiscent of those found in Hitchhiker's. It's this madcap nature that perfectly suits Tom Baker's Doctor; this incarnation feels natural in a story like this and it feels like it was actually written with him in mind. There is no way The Pirate Planet could be a William Hartnell or Jon Pertwee serial because it wouldn't work anywhere near as well as it does.

Bruce Purchase is an outstanding choice for the Captain. He gleefully plays to the over the top nature of the serial and is exactly the kind of booming caricature villain this serial needed. Yet whilst he has an almost cartoon-esque quality to his performance, he still appears as more of a credible threat than the Gaff in The Ribos Operation. He still seems like someone who poses a challenge for the Doctor. He never feels like an easy villain for the Doctor and Romana to defeat and most importantly, despite the bombastic nature he still feels real.

A highlight of the serial is the robot parrot Polyphase Avatron. Polyphase Avatron is a pet robot who could easily rival K9 in its awesomeness. Essentially it is like an anti-K9: whilst K9 only fires his laser when necessary, the Polyphase Avatron kills anyone who gets on the wrong side of the captain. It's a brilliant design too by the serial's designer Jon Pusey. It has a nice, almost steampunk to it that nicely fits Douglas Adams' style. K9 was clearly jealous when he destroyed it. Bad, bad dog.

To me, this is the classic series story that represents Tom Baker at his best. The fourth Doctor in this serial is exactly how most people have come to think of his Doctor: bulging eyes, booming voice, warm eccentricity...all the traits that people refer to the fourth Doctor as having are there. In fact, this serial could have just been called 'Tom Baker' because it pretty much feels like The Tom Baker Show, written by Douglas Adams. That's a very good thing as it shows the writer understood Tom's Doctor personality and how to characterise the fourth Doctor.

What's interesting to note about this story is that whilst working on it, Douglas Adams was also working on the BBC radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. It's amazing that this story doesn't suffer from a lack of attention by a Douglas Adams working on a project that was likely more important to him (Doctor Who didn't have the legacy it has today at that time, of course, so it would have just been another job to him). It feels like Douglas Adams put a lot of effort into writing this serial and didn't treat it as just some extra work pay alongside his Hitchhiker's commitments.

Overall, The Pirate Planet is without a doubt the best serial of the Key To Time season. It features a suitably barmy plot by the wonderful Douglas Adams and is the most quintessential Tom Baker story of Tom Baker's time in the TARDIS. The Captain feels like a much more credible threat than The Ribos Operation's 'The Gaff' despite the cartoon-esque nature and is nicely over-played by Bruce Purchase. I also love the robot parrot Polyphase Avatron who is basically like an evil version of K9. Douglas Adams may have been busy writing his Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy BBC radio drama but it doesn't feel like The Pirate Planet was affected by this. It's commendable how he didn't treat Doctor Who as 'just another job' despite it not having the legacy it has gained today but instead wrote the episode to the best of his abilities. This is Douglas Adams at his finest and showcases how he was one of the classic series' best writers.

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Overall, The Pirate Planet is without a doubt the best serial of the Key To Time season.

I would agree with that. It's definitely the best concept. My favourite though is The Power of Kroll, maybe because it was the first story in the season I watched.

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I would agree with that. It's definitely the best concept. My favourite though is The Power of Kroll, maybe because it was the first story in the season I watched.

I found the Power of Kroll a bit like The Ribos Operation: a bit average, nothing really to shout about. More on that later...

[SeeingisBelieving]

I found the Power of Kroll a bit like The Ribos Operation: a bit average, nothing really to shout about. More on that later...

The whole season's a bit average:).

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The Stones of Blood

So the Doctor(Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) have found two of the segments of the Key to Time. Now onto the third segment: the segment found in The Stones of Blood. The Stones of Blood is the one hundredth Doctor Who story but unlike 2009's Planet of the Dead it is never acknowledged in the story. It is weird to think there had been one hundred Doctor Who stories by this point and it is a credit to the classic series that they hadn't run out of ideas by this point.

Sadly, for the one hundredth story The Stones of Blood isn't one of the better serials. It is very imaginative but does at the same time it feels a little run of the mill. The serial sees the Doctor and Romana arrive on Earth during the then-present day, near a group of standing stones called The Nine Travellers. They find old archaeologist Professor Amelia Rumford (Beatrix Lehmann) and her partner Vivien Fay (Susan Engel) who are studying the stones and find dried blood on the ground. The stones are revealed as being a species from the planet Ogros called Ogri; they need blood in order to survive. Meanwhile, the Doctor is put on trial by the Megara - justice machines searching for a wanted criminal known as the Cessair of Diplos - for breaking the seals on locked doors aboard a prison vessel in hyperspace. The Doctor and Romana must stop the Ogros from absorbing blood from innocent people and help the Megara bring the Cessair of Diplos to justice.

The idea of vampire stones is a nicely eccentric one and a concept that wouldn't work on any other show but the serial doesn't explore the eccentricity behind the idea enough. I can't help but think Douglas Adams would have been a better fit for this serial; the Ogri would no doubt have been better executed and the Megara could have been a neat if madcap satire for strict law systems. These ideas whilst very inventive ones by writer David Fisher don't feel as though they are given justice by him and could have been better handled in a more capable writer's hands.

I couldn't really care for 'Vivien Fay' (or her true identity) either. She's a bit bland and her real identity seems to be a revelation that comes out of nowhere. When it's revealed who the Cessair of Diplos is, I'm not really given enough reason to believe she is accountable for the murder crimes she has been accused of. She's certainly not one of the show's best-written characters and neither is Professor Amelia Rumford, who whilst the characterisation isn't bad doesn't really stand out. David Fisher seems to be a writer who is better at big concepts and ideas than he is at characterisation and narrative. He would have probably made a better storyliner for a soap than a writer for a sci-fi drama.

This is the serial where Mary Tamm's Romana shines though. I feel like she comes into her own as the first Romana in this story and feels like a much more engaging companion to the Doctor. In the previous stories she feels a bit too stiff but here it's like Mary Tamm's worked out the right balance between Romana's authoritative way of speaking and showing a bit of her personality underneath. Whilst The Pirate Planet showcased Tom Baker at his best, this is a good showcase for Mary Tamm.

K9 also gets more to do in this serial than in the previous two; he feels like more a part of the TARDIS crew than he did in The Ribos Operation for example and he does generally seem to move the narrative forward, especially when he helps the Doctor fight the Ogri or stays behind whilst the Doctor and repairs the projector that allows the Doctor and Romana to visit hyperspace with Amelia. I wish K9 would return in the new series as I think he would be a perfect match for Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor.

Whilst The Stones of Blood may not be the best Doctor Who story, it has been of some inspiration to future Doctor Who stories. The idea of standing stones hiding a secret (such as how they are the Ogros in this serial) has been used in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang with Stonehenge's Underhenge. And then there's the idea of a justice system hunting an alien criminal that has been used in 2007's Smith And Jones and 2010's The Eleventh Hour. It has clearly been an inspiration for some new series writers and that's something that should quite rightly be applauded.

Overall, The Stones of Blood is not the greatest Doctor Who serial and certainly not one worthy of being the one hundredth story. It suffers from bad characterisation with its supporting characters and feels a bit run of the mill. The Stones of Blood does contain some nice ideas however - such as the vampire-like 'stones' and the Megara - that have been influential in the stories of the new series. It's also a good showcase for Mary Tamm's incarnation of Romana, whilst K9 feels more like a part of the TARDIS crew than he did in the earlier Key to Time stories.

3

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The Androids of Tara

The fourth segment of the Key to Time is upon us...but where will the search for the Key to Time take us now?

Well, until the land of The Prisoner of Zenda it seems. Sorry, I mean 'The Androids of Tara'. The serial was written by David Fisher as Doctor Who's take on 1961's popular U.S. adaptation of the adventure book The Prisoner of Zenda. It's basically the equivalent of if the new series of Doctor Who decided to make a pastiche of Game of Thrones. The new series has taken influences from popular forms of media (Last Christmas is clearly inspired by Alien) but they appear more as forms of inspiration rather than direct copies.

Now I'm not sure how much The Androids of Tara's plot copies that of The Prisoner of Zenda as I have neither read the book or seen the U.S. drama. I am not a fan however when writers make a conscious decision to mimic the plot of something else as David Fisher and producer Graham Williams decided to here. Whilst it is true that all ideas have been done at some point and no idea is truly original, it seems unimaginative to make that decision to use another writer's plot.

The plot sees the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the planet Tara; at first, their trip seems rather straightforward when Romana finds the segment of the Key to Time straight away. When she is attacked by a Taran Wood Beast, Count Grendel of Gracht (Peter Jeffrey) comes to her rescue and takes her into his castle. However it turns out that he thinks he's one of her androids: an android replica of Princess Strella, who looks exactly like Romana. Grendel has taken Tara's next in line to be king Prince Reynart (Neville Jason) captive and plans to marry Strella so he will be crowned at Reynart's coronation in his absence

Whilst I do not approve of the intentions to copy The Prisoner of Zenda, on its own merit The Androids of Tara is a lot of fun and certainly better than The Stones of Blood. The sword fight between the Doctor and Grendel is brilliantly staged by director Michael Hayes and looks like something out of a movie rather than a TV Show. The android doubles and not knowing who is or isn't an android is well-executed too, especially with the added complication that Romana looks exactly like Android Strella and real Strella.

Speaking of Romana, Mary Tamm does an excellent job of playing essentially three different characters - android, Strella and Romana. She manages to make each feel distinct and yet also similar enough to cause confusion over their same appearance. Mary Tamm's portrayal of three different roles really shows her capability and skills as a Doctor Who companion actor. It's a shame she has since passed so cannot return to the show but luckily Mary Tamm managed to record some Big Finish audios before her passing. It would have been sad if the average Key to Time season had been her last in the role.

The Androids of Tara also has some of the classic series' best location work. The use of Leeds Castle works well for this story as it has a nice medieval feel that adds to the visual aesthetic of Tara whilst also providing a nice contrast with the futuristic android technology. More importantly: it feels like a setting from an adventure story and fits the fairytale-esque tale of knights, damsels in distress and sword-fights the story is trying to tell. It looks like particularly expensive location work too; nothing in the serial looks cheap, which is impressive given the shoestring budget.

Overall, The Androids of Tara is not the most imaginative serial - it was thought up as 'Doctor Who does The Prisoner of Zenda' - but it is a lot of fun to watch. There's a brilliant sword fight between the Doctor and Grendel and the android doubles adds a nice complication to the plot. Mary Tamm is outstanding at playing three different characters in the android Strella, the real Strella and Romana, giving them enough differences to feel like separate characters yet also maintaining certain similarities so you're not entirely sure who is who. There's some great location work too; the Leeds Castle location makes for an effective medieval adventure setting and allows for a nice contrast between the old fairytale and the advanced android technology in the serial. Just don't expect anything original.

4

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The Power of Kroll

The penultimate key to time is upon us as the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the third moon of Delta Magna. Robert Holmes was unhappy with this serial as he later declared it not one of his best. To some extent, I agree although overall I prefer The Power of Kroll to his later sixth Doctor serial The Two Doctors.

The plot sees the Doctor and Romana become embroiled in a conflict between the moon's occupants the Swampies and the crew of an oil refinery. The Swampies plan to awaken the giant underwater creature called Kroll whom they worship as a God but is really a squid that was mutated by the fifth segment of the Key to Time. It is a good story but far from a memorable one, especially compared to some of Robert Holmes' other stories such as Spearhead From Space or The Ark in Space. The problem is that the narrative borrows too many things associated with other episodes of the show leaving not much in the way of originality.

Giant monster? Check (The Tenth Planet, The Green Death, Robot...)
Oil refinery? Check (Inferno, The Green Death, Terror of the Zygons...)
Primitive species (Swampies)? Check (An Unearthly Child, The Underwater Menace, Death to the Daleks...)

The Swampies also look a bit too ridiculous to be taken seriously. I don't know what make-up artist Kezia Dewinne was thinking by making them green but it just makes them look silly. I don't care about how the Kroll creature looks (it's not as bad as the Nucleus from The Invisible Enemy) but there is no excuse for the Swampies looking this bad. They look like the Jolly Green Giant:

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/tardis/images/d/d6/Swampie.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101209184255

http://www.greengiant.no/Shared/Images/TheGreenGiant.jpg

And what's with those stupid dreadlocks? They look like they're about to join some sort of punk rock band and sing songs about sweetcorn. They certainly don't look like a tribe that would sacrifice people for Kroll.

There are some nice scenes in The Power of Kroll though, such as when one of the Kroll's tentacles tries to attack the crew of the oil refinery through the pipes. That is a particularly tense moment and probably one of the most memorable of the Key to Time season. It's just a shame that Robert Holmes' usual imagination isn't present here.

You have to hand it to the cast: they really try to sell the story. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward give it their all, although Tom Baker looks bored compared to his appearance in other serials. Unfortunately K9 dos not feature in this serial because of the problematic K9 prop being unable to move over the swamp but John Leeson does appear in his first onscreen role as refinery crew member Dugeen and he is by far the standout of the supporting cast. Despite the best efforts of the cast however the story still doesn't appear as anything other than average.

The Kroll could have benefitted from CGI on the DVD release. It isn't the worst classic series effect but I fear it could put off many new series fans wanting to give the classic series a try. It really shouldn't be about the special effects but unfortunately in the age of CGI, many enjoy seeing flashy visuals in a modern televised production over archive television material with weaker special effects. It is odd that they decided to give The Ark In Space (a serial with great special effects for the classic series) CGI sequences over a story like The Power of Kroll that deserved it more. Hopefully fans new to the show are better than the kind of people who wouldn't watch something because of the effects.

Overall, The Power of Kroll isn't Robert Holmes' worst Doctor Who story but it certainly isn't his best either. The narrative is decent but disappointingly borrows too much from past Doctor Who serials and the Swampies look more like the Jolly Green Giant than a primitive species capable of sacrifices for a fake God. There are some good scenes to be found in The Power of Kroll though and the cast try their best to sell the story (even if Tom Baker looks a bit bored). Yes, the Kroll doesn't look that brilliant but special effects are the last thing that should put somebody off watching a classic series serial and it's far from the worst classic series effect anyway: that honour goes to the Nucleus from The Invisible Enemy.

If you want to watch a Robert Holmes story, you're better off watching Spearhead From Space. It's a far superior serial that feels more like an exploration of new ideas than a repeat of ones the show has used already.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

I am not a fan however when writers make a conscious decision to mimic the plot of something else as David Fisher and producer Graham Williams decided to here.

Me neither.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Robert Holmes was unhappy with this serial as he later declared it not one of his best. To some extent, I agree although overall I prefer The Power of Kroll to his later sixth Doctor serial The Two Doctors.

I'd watch this over The Ribos Operation any day of the week. And even that is leaps and bounds away from The Space Pirates :) .


Giant monster? Check (The Tenth Planet, The Green Death, Robot...)
Oil refinery? Check (Inferno, The Green Death, Terror of the Zygons...)
Primitive species (Swampies)? Check (An Unearthly Child, The Underwater Menace, Death to the Daleks...)

I think at this point in the whole of Doctor Who as a series, you've got a point about the oil refinery, as Terror of the Zygons would still be fairly fresh in the memory. The other things are more excusable ;) .

The Swampies also look a bit too ridiculous to be taken seriously. I don't know what make-up artist Kezia Dewinne was thinking by making them green but it just makes them look silly.

Well they're like mermen really aren't they? It's just that they're less like alien monsters than the Marshmen or the Silurians, for example, both of whom tend towards greens and browns. The green does make them look like they've evolved out of the swamps and marshes, almost like camouflage.

You have to hand it to the cast: they really try to sell the story. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward give it their all,

– ah, premature :) !

I liked Neil McCarthy and Philip Madoc in this as well.

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I'd watch this over The Ribos Operation any day of the week. And even that is leaps and bounds away from The Space Pirates :) .
I actually preferred The Ribos Operation, although mainly for Garron and Unstoffe.




Well they're like mermen really aren't they? It's just that they're less like alien monsters than the Marshmen or the Silurians, for example, both of whom tend towards greens and browns. The green does make them look like they've evolved out of the swamps and marshes, almost like camouflage.
Good point. They still look ridiculous though. Why couldn't they have used a darker shade of green?



– ah, premature :) !
Damn. I guess that's why writers in the industry have proofreaders.

I liked Neil McCarthy and Philip Madoc in this as well.
Agree about Phil Madoc although Neil McCarthy I can give or take.

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The Armageddon Factor

Finally we have reached the final segment of the Key to Time - found in the Key To Time season finale The Armageddon Factor. An interesting note to make about The Armaggedon Factor is that Part One was the five hundredth episode of the show. Unlike The Stones of Blood, The Armageddon Factor is a much more memorable milestone story too (although it does have the advantage of being the finale).

The Armageddon Factor sees the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on Atrios: a planet that's at war with neighbouring planet Zeos. They are discovered by the Marshal (John Woodvine), Atrios's commander in the war and decide to flee back to the TARDIS. However they find the TARDIS has gone, trapping them on the planet. The Marshal persuades the Doctor to help Atrios in the war. During the story, they meet Princess Astra (played by future Romana Lalla Ward) who is the last Royal Family member of the sixth royal house of Atrios. Meanwhile, one of the Black Guardian's agents - The Shadow (William Squire) - is also looking for the last segment of the Key to Time.

The story feels suitably epic, like a new series finale of the Russell T Davies era. This is the Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways of the classic series: huge fun to watch, with a certain comic-book feel to the events of the story. I think it's impossible not to be gripped by this story; personally I never lost interest once and I think this would be a good classic series serial to introduce to new fans of Doctor Who. It doesn't matter if they haven't seen previous Key to Time serials: you don't need to know the actual events of the past stories, only that the Doctor and Romana have currently acquired five of the Key to Time segments and the Doctor was sent on a mission by the White Guardian to find them before the Black Guardian does. All of this could probably be picked up by only watching The Armaggedon Factor anyway.

I imagine this serial was one that didn't go down well with Mary Whitehouse as there are a number of dark themes in this story such as nuclear war and death threats. Perhaps the darkest of all however is the real identity of Princess Astra, who is revealed to be the last segment of the Key to Time. Her existence comes to an end when Romana uses her tracer to return her to her true form, meaning that whilst she didn't actually exist she believed she did and still had a life. . It's nice when the show explores such dark themes as it helps add a hint of realism without overstepping the mark with the dark/gritty rubbish that's plaguing Hollywood. Not everything has to be cosy and sometimes it is better for Doctor Who to unsettle its audience.

One of the best elements of this serial is evil K9. K9 works well as an extra threat for the Doctor and Romana when he's being controlled via a device by The Shadow. It's disturbing to see one of the Doctor's companions turn against the Doctor and Romana and it helps to showcase the Shadow as one of the most serious threats for the Doctor to face. This isn't any old villain, he knows exactly what he's doing and how to get it. It also neatly ties in with the sense of loyalty people have with their dogs: the idea that their dogs would never betray them. So what happens when they do? If you can't even trust your pet dog, then who do you trust? Turning K9 temporarily evil was definitely a good idea.

Of course, you can't do a review of The Armageddon Factor without mentioning Drax. Drax's introduction isn't very strong (he literally appears out of nowhere) but he is one of the show's strongest guest characters. He's a renegade Time Lord who was in the same class as the Doctor at the Prydonian Academy. He works as a galactic maintenance man and a death threat from The Shadow forced him to work on the planet Zeos's giant computer Mentalis. Barry Jackson is a revelation as Drax and it's a shame he was never brought back as a recurring character in the television series. Thankfully Big Finish has since brought Drax back with the fourth Doctor audio The Trouble With Drax, albeit not with Barry Jackson (who sadly passed away in 2013) but with Ray Brooks voicing the character.

One thing I would say about The Armaggedon Factor is the conclusion is a little weak. It feels a bit rushed and a little like a slap in the face to what was set up in the first serial (rather than giving the Key to Time to the White Guardian, they decide to scatter it across time and space, so the Key to Time segments end up exactly as they were at the beginning of the serial anyway ). It almost feels like the Doctor didn't properly think it through, because if the segments are once again scatted across time and space, what happens if they fall in the wrong hands - IE the Black Guardian?. I haven't listened to Big Finish's Key 2 Time yet so maybe Big Finish have explored what happened with the segments since the Key to Time's conclusion but it certainly doesn't feel like a strong end to the final Key To Time serial.

Overall, The Armageddon Factor is a spectacular end to the Key to Time arc. It's a story that would make a nice introduction to new fans of the show and features some cool ideas such as an evil K9 and the Doctor's classmate Drax. There are some dark themes but they aren't treated in a dark/gritty way as with the trend in Hollywood movies but help to unsettle the audience. My only real criticism is that the conclusion is a bit disappointing; other than that, The Armageddon Factor is definitely worth your time.

4.5

[SeeingisBelieving]

Good point. They still look ridiculous though. Why couldn't they have used a darker shade of green?

It's a risky thing to navigate. When you consider that they're pastiching American Indians, making them a darker green would probably have made them more like Africans, which would have thrown the allusion off-kilter but could also have looked pretty racist. Incidentally, I was a bit surprised at the accent Idris Elba's doing in Star Trek Beyond.

Agree about Phil Madoc although Neil McCarthy I can give or take.

That may have been the first time I saw him without his fork-hand and his pointy gnashers ;).

McCarthy had a condition that made his features so enlarged – I'm sure I read somewhere that Matt Smith has a different and less pronounced condition that accounts for his face shape but I forget what it's called.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

It's a risky thing to navigate. When you consider that they're pastiching American Indians, making them a darker green would probably have made them more like Africans, which would have thrown the allusion off-kilter but could also have looked pretty racist. Incidentally, I was a bit surprised at the accent Idris Elba's doing in Star Trek Beyond.

It is but I think it could have been achievable.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I haven't listened to Big Finish's Key 2 Time yet so maybe Big Finish have explored what happened with the segments since the Key to Time's conclusion but it certainly doesn't feel like a strong end to the final Key To Time serial.

I got to episode 2 of The Destroyer of Delights and packed in. I couldn't stand what they'd done to the Black Guardian for one thing. The Judgement of Isskar wasn't that bad though.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

I got to episode 2 of The Destroyer of Delights and packed in. I couldn't stand what they'd done to the Black Guardian for one thing. The Judgement of Isskar wasn't that bad though.

I've read the synopsis and guess the Doctor teams up with the Black Guardian. Strange idea if so.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I've read the synopsis and guess the Doctor teams up with the Black Guardian. Strange idea if so.

It wasn't that so much as casting David Troughton as a kind of ironic take on the all-powerful, booming voiced Guardian of Valentine Dyall. It just didn't work for me at all.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Maggie Simpson In The Longest Daycare

People have been crying out for a Simpsons Movie 2 ever since its cinema release back in 2007. But perhaps we've already had one in the form of a short film?

That's right: I'm referring to Maggie Simpson In The Longest Daycare. After all, it was a Simpsons movie and it was released in cinemas. Maggie Simpson In The Longest Daycare was released in 2012 and played before screenings of Ice Age: Continental Drift. It starred the silent member of the Simpsons family Maggie and impressed critics so much that it was nominated for an Academy Award. Ultimately it was beaten by Walt Disney Animation's Paperman but nobody expected The Simpsons to be nominated in a prestigious awards ceremony.

The plot sees Marge drop off Maggie at the Ayn Rand School for Tots. She is put through a security screening that reveals she is a baby of average intelligence, which results in her being dumped in the 'Nothing Special' corner away from the 'Room for Gifted Babies' section. There, she finds the creepy baby Gerald (who has been featured as a running joke in a few Simpsons episodes) whose hobby consists of killing butterflies with a mallet. Maggie finds a caterpillar and learns that they become butterflies; it is up to her to protect it from Gerald's mallet.

What makes this stand out from other shorts is the way it tells its story without a word uttered by Maggie or even Marge without the plot becoming the film version of a brain teaser. There is no confusion over the plot; everything is clear and straightforward, unlike some short films that attempt to tell dialogue-free narratives and end up confusing in the process. The narrative feels like a nice homage to Looney Tunes; the idea is suitably madcap yet still manages to successfully maintain the Simpsons' somewhat ironic style.

Despite the absence of the dialogue, it still undeniably feels like The Simpsons. This could easily be an episode of the show in its own right - or at least a short segment in one of their Treehouse of Horror Specials (let's face it: they've deviated from the horror theme quite a bit recently anyway). I'd even go as far as to say this short feels more like an episode of The Simpsons than some of the current episodes of the show. The wit is there, the comedy is there...everything you like about The Simpsons is there. The current episodes on the other hand feel weak and lacking in the joke department.

It is a smart decision by Twentieth Century Fox to make Maggie the star. Maggie is a likeable protagonist and you definitely find yourself rooting for her to help save the caterpillar. It's nice to see Maggie Smith get the spotlight over the other members of the Simpsons family who we often see such as Bart or Lisa. I like Bart as a character as much as the next person who has seen The Simpsons but we have seen enough of him over the twenty years the show has been on. The time was right in 2012 for a new Simpson to take the spotlight.

I like the decision to make Gerald the primary antagonist too. Gerald may initially seem like a one-joke character with his monobrow and evil expression but he works surprisingly well as a foil for Maggie. He is one of the show's funniest side characters alongside the Yes Guy and Just Stamp The Ticket Man; I don't know if I'd want to see him return again as I don't see what more they could do with the character but in the context of this minisode his inclusion makes perfect sense.

The animation is also up to The Simpsons' usual standards. It looks as good as The Simpsons movie, if not better. Yes, it's not going to rival what Disney or Pixar are doing but its traditional 2D style is a nice old-school method that adds to The Simpsons' unique style. If The Simpsons made the transition to 3D CGI animation, it would undeniably lose its identity. The 2D animation is where The Simpsons belongs, even if it is now done by computer and not by hand. I don't doubt that one day they will attempt a 3D CGI-animated Simpsons television series or film but hopefully for now we can enjoy The Simpsons the way it is supposed to be drawn.

Overall, Maggie Simpson In The Longest Daycare is The Simpsons' smartest cartoon to date. It rivals any of the current episodes of The Simpsons and manages to tell its story without dialogue in a comprehensible way unlike some short films where the plot can become baffling. Making Maggie Simpson the primary protagonist is an intelligent decision by Twentieth Century Fox and is a refreshing alternative from seeing the same members of The Simpsons family focused on. Gerald works well as the antagonist too, even if there isn't a lot to his character. From the animation to the comedy, this is The Simpsons at its finest and if you like The Simpsons but haven't seen this short film, go and look it up on YouTube immediately.

5

[Jay Redrum]

Just watched the short. It's awesome glad I read this. I agree I always wanted there to be some more focus on Maggie and it's nice to see something solely dedicated to her and not the rest of the cast.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Just watched the short. It's awesome glad I read this. I agree I always wanted there to be some more focus on Maggie and it's nice to see something solely dedicated to her and not the rest of the cast.

Yeah, for a baby Maggie Simpson is a very interesting character.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Shaun of the Dead

It's weird to think that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost started off as television actors before making their famous comedy films. Yet they did. In 1999, they were the little-known stars of the sitcom Spaced, following the lives of two friends - Tim and Daisy (not played by Nick Frost but Jessica Hynes) pretending to be a couple in order to live in the only apartment they could afford. During the series they end up in a number of larger than life scenarios - one episode - called 'Art' - featured Simon Pegg's character Tim seeing everyone as zombies as a result of drink, drugs, Twiglets and a lack of sleep. 'Art' provided the inspiration for Edgar Wright's first collaboration with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost: Shaun of the Dead, one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Shaun of the Dead follows the story of Shaun (Simon Pegg), a sales advisor from the local electronics shop Foree Electronics who lives with his best friend Ed (Nick Frost) and former roommate from college Pete (Peter Serafinowicz). He is dumped by his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) over his irresponsibility; when Shaun finds himself in the middle of a zombie invasion, he must learn to become a more responsible adult in order to survive the invasion and get back with Liz.

One of the things I love about Shaun of the Dead is the brilliant social commentary in the film. One scene at the beginning of the film features hooded chavs walking like zombies. The satire during the opening scene is very true to real life and is a joke that conveys a thought-provoking message about the similarities to zombies we display as the human race. This message is further enforced by Shaun's movements and reactions in the film, such as the way he walks to the shop to pick up a Cornetto and a fizzy drink can. In many ways Shaun as a character is almost a zombie himself; he's constantly tired, moves very slow and has a low intelligence. The fact that Shaun later in the film can easily impersonate the zombie in order to find his way to the Winchester amongst all the zombies shows how close he is to being one of them and it's a clever bit of characterisation by writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright.

There's a brilliant sense of irony present through the entire film too. The scene where they fight the zombies in the pub to Don't Stop Me Now to me is one of cinema's greatest comedy moments. The Don't Stop Me Now music works perfectly as it is the last song you would expect to play whilst a group of people are fighting zombies and the entire scene is brilliantly blocked and choreographed by Edgar Wright. Whilst he understands the scene is silly, he also gets that the characters need to appear as though they are taking attacking zombies with pool cues seriously in order for it to work. Edgar Wright is quite simply a comic genius.

A big part of the appeal of Shaun of the Dead is the way it deliberately plays with the idea of genre conventions. Shaun of the Dead isn't a traditional comedy but neither is it a traditional horror. It's basically a mix of both. Zombies are usually presented as a major threat in horror films but here they are ridiculed by showing just how pathetic they are for comic value. They are slow, they are lumbering and genuinely a laughable threat. On the other hand, the film is shot like a horror movie - one scene features a mid shot of Liz's secret admirer David (Dylan Moran) in front of the curtains in the Winchester Pub as the shadows of the zombies outside are reflected on them.

http://www.i-mockery.com/halloween/greatest/pics/shaun1.jpg

This is a bold idea by Director of Photography David M. Dunlap and helps create the identity of Shaun of the Dead as a film. In many ways, Shaun of the Dead is similar to Ghostbusters in that it doesn't simply parody horror movies but creates a believable and realistic tone over a horror environment and uses the horror aesthetic to generate the humour whilst still maintaining the horror where necessary. It does satirise horror films but it doesn't send it up in the same way a film such as Scary Movie would. The zombies for example still have their signature horror groan and it treats the zombies' ability to eat human flesh and thereby turning an unconverted member of the human race into a zombie seriously. Shaun of the Dead is a comedy but it's no parody of the horror genre.

It's no wonder that this film saw the beginning of a long partnership with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have incredible chemistry onscreen; you can tell they are best friends in real life and Shaun and Ed's friendship is perhaps more believable than Shaun and Liz's romance. Shaun and Liz do feel somewhat like a couple but Simon Pegg and Kate Ashfield don't have as much chemistry as Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes. Edgar Wright completely understands Simon Pegg's comedy also; Shaun of the Dead feels like a Simon Pegg comedy. It's hard to imagine anyone else starring in the film other than him. Robert De Niro wouldn't be right and Ben Stiller probably wouldn't have worked. Simon Pegg on the other hand makes the absurdity work. You can tell he and Edgar Wright wrote this film with the intention of Simon Pegg being the lead.

Overall, Shaun of the Dead is one of the greatest comedies of all time. The social commentary present in the film is hilarious and it effortlessly plays with the idea of genre conventions in a funny and engaging way. Shaun of the Dead is the modern day Ghostbusters: unlike films such as Scary Movie, it doesn't set out to parody horror films but instead maintains the horror when the plot requires it. Sure, it pokes fun at how terrible zombies are as horror monsters but not at the expense of tense and dramatic scenes. It's no different to how Ghostbusters features both cartoony and realistic ghosts. The film is shot like a horror film to further emphasise that this isn't a sending-up of the horror genre but rather a love letter to the way horror films work. Whether you like this film will however depend on whether you like Simon Pegg's comedy as at its core this is essentially a Simon Pegg movie: it wouldn't work with Robert De Niro or Ben Stiller in the lead role. If you're a fan of Simon Pegg, you'll love this film. If not, then you're probably best avoiding this one.

5

[DalekbusterScreen5]

The Flintstones

With the first issue of DC Comic's Flintstones series released, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the first live-action Flintstones movie. It's weird how Hollywood studios like to take animation and turn them into live-action features. Recently the likes of Alvin & The Chipmunks, The Smurfs and The Jungle Book have made the transition from animation to live-action. I assume it is because it offers a unique angle for a film rather than giving audiences the same as what they can already watch, although you never seem to get live-action properties as cartoons on the big screen. Maybe animation is just easier to adapt into another format?

The Flintstones came out in 1994; at this point, the original series had ended although there had been numerous spinoff series and a couple of televised animated shorts called 'Stay Out' and 'The Great Egg-Scape'. The film's audience were unlikely to have been fully aware of the cartoon, which makes the decision to revive it as a live-action adaptation even more odd. The film follows two cavemen from the prehistoric town of Bedrock who work at a quarry for the mining corporation Slate and Company: Fred Flintstone (John Goodman) and his workmate Barney Rubble (Rick Moranis). When Fred gives Barney money so he and Betty (Rosie O'Donnell) can adopt a baby, Barney thanks Fred by swapping his answers on a test set by company executive Cliff Vandercave (Kyle MacLachlan) to find out who would get promoted to associate vice president. Fred's answers were of course terrible, whereas Barney gets the highest mark. Fred is therefore given the associate vice president job whilst Barney and Betty adopt their kid Bam-Bam (Hlynur Sigurdsson). Fred eventually finds out Cliff and his secretary Sharon Stone's (Halle Berry) plan to steal the company's money, flee Bedrock and frame Fred for the loss of the company's funds. Sure enough, Fred is framed and it's up to Wilma (Elizabeth Perkins), Betty and the office Dictabird (Harvey Korman) to clear his name.

It's amazing how closely the cast resemble the characters from the cartoon. John Goodman is the perfect Fred; the look and mannerisms are all spot on. Rick Moranis is slightly harder to imagine as Barney but does a surprisingly good job. He nails down Barney's character perfectly. Elizabeth Perkins is a great match for Wilma, although Rosie 'ODonnell is less successful as Betty. She looks more like a YouTuber dressed as Betty and for some reason is portrayed as a fat sassy version of the character rather than Wilma's sweet neighbour. Rosie 'ODonnell lets down an otherwise good cast; Jane Krakowski in the prequel Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas does a better job at playing the character.

The film is a faithful adaptation of the cartoon. The plot is something you could imagine the original cartoon attempting in one of its half an hour episodes. It doesn't try to add aliens or monsters in, or anything else that isn't a part of the cartoon's plot. It's basically just The Flintstones cartoon in live-action. It doesn't really get enough appreciation for that, especially when a lot of live-action versions of old cartoons nowadays attempt to add in plot elements that don't fit in with what the source material was about. I mean, as much as I enjoyed Scooby-Doo as a kid there was no need to take the focus away from mysteries by adding in generic mutated creatures. The Flintstones keeps it simple and to the point; it wouldn't have been as enjoyable any other way.

All the classic elements from the cartoon are there: the car, the dinosaurs they ride in the quarry, other prehistoric creatures being used as technology that wouldn't have existed at the time... Of course, Fred and Barney both have their classic costumes too. You can tell the director Brian Levant is a fan of the cartoon. They don't pretend it's not a live-action cartoon either; everything's bright and has a certain cartoonish aesthetic. They don't go for a realistic feel; this is a live-action animation plain and simple.

The designs of the dinosaur animatronics are surprisingly convincing. Whilst they are obviously not to the quality of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, they feel as though they could actually exist if it were not for the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs hundreds of years ago. Yeah, they have a cartoony look but if they made them authentic they would be too scary for a family comedy like The Flintstones. The Flintstones is not and never was supposed to be taken seriously and the prehistoric creatures always had an animated look to them. The cartoon-esque design works for the dinosaurs in this film more than a realistic one would.

I think one of the reasons why it is so under-rated is that it doesn't pretend the film isn't mainly for kids. That's not to mean adults can't enjoy it because the humour is very similar to that of the cartoon but it's trying more to capture the younger audience compared to the primetime family audience that was the cartoon's demographic. It's kind of like the way live-action cartoons try to mainly capture the kids now: the difference here is that other films go too far the other way to entice the children of the audience and don't offer more for those of us who are adults wanting to see the movie.

Overall, the Flintstones is far from a movie classic but it is a very under-rated family comedy. Unlike some modern live-action adaptations of past animations, it is extremely authentic in its visual style to the cartoons and features great dinosaur animatronics. The one thing that lets the film down more than anything is Rosie 'ODonnell as Betty. She is nothing like the character and is therefore terribly miscast in the role. Despite what some would have you believe The Flintstones is definitely worth your time even if it isn't to the quality of other family films like Toy Story or E.T.

4

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Monday 11th July review teaser

When there's something strange
In your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
DalekbusterScreen5!

This reviewer DOES have a dick.

He slimed me!

[SeeingisBelieving]

Monday 11th July review teaser

When there's something strange
In your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
DalekbusterScreen5!

This reviewer DOES have a dick.

He slimed me!

It's weird, "Yes it's true, this man has no dick" seems as out of place now as "Freeze you bloody bastards!" in Flash Gordon :D.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

It's weird, "Yes it's true, this man has no dick" seems as out of place now as "Freeze you bloody bastards!" in Flash Gordon :D.

True. I can confirm it won't be a certain reboot reviewed on Monday though.

[SeeingisBelieving]

True. I can confirm it won't be a certain reboot reviewed on Monday though.

Thank Christ :p.

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Cats & Dogs

Cats and dogs are infamous for being mortal enemies. Whilst some do get along, more often than not dogs like to warn their cat neighbours not to trespass on their 'private' property. It's a wonder then that it took until 2001 for a film company to make a film about their rivalry.

That film is Cat & Dogs, directed by Lawrence Guterman. The movie follows a young beagle called Lou (voiced by Toby Maguire) who accidentally becomes embroiled in the top-secret war between the dogs of a secret agency and the evil felines intent on taking over the world, led by Mr Tinkles (voiced by Sean Hayes). Mass hysteria ensues as Lou tries to prove he has what it takes to be a secret agent by assisting the agency on stopping Tinkles from sabotaging Lou's owner Professor Brody's (Jeff Goldblum) attempts to find a cure for human dog allergies whilst making all humans allergic in the process.

This is a case where the cast is better than the film. Tobey Maguire's voice is perfect for Lou; he has the right kind of voice for the 'underdog' character (if you pardon the pun) and it's not hard to see why he was cast as Peter Parker in 2002's Spider-Man movie. Peter Parker to me works best when he is the overlooked hero who doesn't have the skills or experience of Iron Man or Captain America and that is basically Lou's character in a nutshell. He's the outsider to the dog's secret agency and we enter it through his eyes. Tobey Maguire is immensely likeable at playing these types of roles and adds a lot to the film.

The same can be said for Jeff Goldblum as Professor Brody. Jeff Goldblum is pretty much exactly as you would expect: the nerdy scientist with the iconic splutter found in characters such as Ian Malcolm. In Cats & Dogs he reminds me a lot of Rick Moranis; he has a similar energy to be found in Rick Moranis' performance in the Honey I Shrunk The Kids series and it is very entertaining to watch. A film more in the style of Honey I Shrunk The Kids would have probably been more successful with Cats & Dogs: Professor Brody would make a great protagonist in a film showcasing his scientific journey to a cure for dog allergies and it may have equalled a better movie.

That's not to say Cats & Dogs is bad. It's just that for a movie that has a clever premise, it's not as memorable as you would expect for a film about secret agent dogs. The secret agency doesn't quite work for me; it just feels random and I don't see how it's possible that nobody would notice their dogs wandering off to complete secret missions. Surely one of the owners would realise their dog is missing - or are they just not very good dog owners in this movie? I can buy cats secretly working for Mr Tinkles because they are pets you generally allow to explore and do their own thing. Sometimes you don't see your family cat for a day. It probably would have made more sense therefore had it been that the cats had a secret agency and the dogs coming up with the evil plans. It could have just been a pair of evil dogs living in the same household conspiring against the cats. Perhaps when they bark at cats on their walks it is to warn them of their devious schemes?

What works in this film's favour is its inventiveness. The secret agency elements are very creative; for example, the dog kennel hides a secret computer hidden within the walls of the dog house. When I watched this as a kid, it was cool to imagine that there could be this kind of stuff hidden by a secret agency of dogs around the house. When the movie plays with the concept of a secret dog agency, it really works. Its downfall is when the narrative sacrifices creativity for silliness.

For example, it never sits right that the film portrays a fifties family in what is clearly intended to be a modern setting. Why would the mother be dressed as a housewife in 50s-era clothing during the early twenty-first century? Why does this film seem to be set in a society where women still don't have equal rights? It is a bit jarring and the narrative never really explains it. If this were supposed to be a parallel Earth to our own then fair enough. If it was set during the 50s then fair enough. But it seems to be set during the modern day.

The villain Mr Tinkles is also a bit stupid. You can already guess by reading the name what his character is: yes, he is a cat who initially looks cute but turns out to be anything but. It's predictable and really belongs in a Saturday morning cartoon than a family feature movie. The cute character who is really evil cliche has been done numerous times before (and better). Apparently Illumination Entertainment's new film The Secret Life of Pets does it with a rabbit called Snowball. It makes more sense with a cartoon though because you expect it to be bizarre. And yeah, Ghostbusters 1984 did something similar with the 'innocent character is really horrifying' approach to the librarian ghost but for that film it works because it's not clear before it happens that she's hiding a monstrous appearance. Bill Murray and co also play it straight and that's what creates the comedy. Here it's just because it's a cat called Mr Tinkles.

The animatronic for Mr Tinkle is a real highlight however. The cat has so much personality; Christian Ristow has done a brilliant choice with the animatronics in the film and Tinkle definitely works better than the trained movements with the real life dogs. The way Mr Tinkle moves feels much more natural whereas with the dogs you can tell they have been trained with meat or dog treats. It is more noticeable than in films such as Babe, where it feels like the animals are doing it naturally rather than because they want to eat the meat in a director's hands and don't really know why they are moving their lips.

Overall, Cats & Dogs is a medicore movie that is carried by the excellent cast rather than the narrative or screenplay. The film does have some creative moments and the animatronic of Mr Tinkle is amazing but the idea of a secret agency of dogs isn't very believable and the portrayal of a modern family as fifties-era characters is weird. The movie seems to exist in a parallel universe where women never fought for equal rights. Cats & Dogs would have worked better if firstly it had opted for a fifties setting to complement the fifties' approach to the human characters and secondly if it had been made as a cartoon rather than a live-action piece. The mass hysteria is there from a film that tells the story of the rivalry between cats and dogs but it doesn't quite deliver on making the world of the film's story believable.

3

[DalekbusterScreen5]

Ghostbusters (1984)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe93CLbHjxQ

The reason why I included the movie's theme song above is because it's the one thing that perfectly describes the film Ghostbusters. The song accurately captures the feel-good vibe present throughout the entire movie and to me the feel good factor is the reason why the 1984 Ghostbusters is so great: it feels like you're having fun with the four Ghostbusters rather than just watching four friends have fun. Or as the song puts it: Ghostbustin' makes you feel good.

So what is the film about?

Do I really have to ask that?

Who doesn't know the story of ghostbusters? Three scientists - Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) and Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) - lose their jobs at Columbia University and decide to set up a paranormal investigation business known as 'Ghostbusters'. Along the way they hire Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and together the team of four hunt down and trap ghosts using their Proton Packs. A lawyer representing the Environmental Protection Agency Walter Peck (William Atherton) orders their containment unit to be shut down and the ghosts they have captured are released into New York city. They are also contacted by cellist Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), who is being haunted by demigod and servant to God of Destruction Gozer ( Slavitza Jovan) Zuul. Together, the Ghostbusters must combat the ghost invasion and save New York from Gozer.

Ghostbusters may be a comedy first and foremost but it succeeds as one because of the way it deals with the ghost invasion. The characters don't treat it as one big joke but they take the threat seriously and the humour comes from the situation rather than from parodying supernatural horror. Of course, you do get some cartoonish ghosts (Slimer for one) but you never get the feeling that the movie is one big in-joke and the four main characters are in on it. It feels a lot like how a real group of friends would interact in a situation where they are hunting down ghosts and happen to share a great sense of humour.

Of course, that would be nothing without the chemistry and Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis are like lightening in a bottle. They are absolutely perfect and share a phenomenal amount of chemistry onscreen. It is disappointing how Ernie Hudson was shortchanged with his role despite how the character initially had a bigger part in early drafts of the screenplay but when he is onscreen he is as funny as the other three. His joke 'If there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say' is so funny and true to real life that it feels like Harold Ramis took a direct quote when writing the script from a real person rather than fabricating it. That's the sign of a good writer: someone who manages to capture the voice of everyday people and create dialogue that feels true and authentic.

The best of out of the 1984 Ghostbusters is definitely Bill Murray however. Bill Murray steals the show and has killer lines like 'Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!'. Ghostbusters would have been nothing without him; he is the one actor out of the team of four who brings the magic to the film. There are certain types of roles actors are just born to play and for Bill Murray that's the lazy, laid-back slacker who can be found in films like Ghostbusters and the recent Jungle Book. Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd clearly realised this when casting him for the part and one of the greatest comedies of all time was born.

From what I have heard the 2016 Ghostbusters features some social commentary on gender imbalance. Some may complain that this doesn't belong in Ghostbusters but they would be ignoring the original, which may not feature gender commentary but does feature a form of social commentary. Ghostbusters in my view is partly a satire of pest exterminators. The Ghostbusters are essentially supernatural exterminators who come into homes and rid them of 'vermin' (IE ghosts). The difference however is that the Ghostbusters get rid of the 'vermin' in a humane way rather than killing them off (although whether you can actually 'kill' a ghost anyway is debatable given they are already dead). Ghostbusters could be seen as a film that therefore challenges the notion of just taking the lives of creatures that invite themselves into our homes rather than finding a more sympathetic method of dealing with them. The reason why we root for the four Ghostbusters is not just because they dispose of the ghosts but also largely how they dispose of them. The ghosts are stopped in a way that still grants them (after)life but at the same time sufficiently punishes them for their crimes against the living.

Nobody is ever going to claim Ghostbusters is Citizen Kane but what it is is immense amounts of fun. The chaotic visual style of the Proton streams add a lot to the film's lively tone. Most importantly they look like something that would come out of a piece of scientific equipment designed for catching ghosts so there is no suspension of disbelief required. To achieve the proton streams with the 1984 original they filmed some explosions on-stage at the Entertainment Effects Group then used a technique called 'pin-blocking' to rephotograph it (taking a repeat photo/video of something with a time-lag of the two images). It is clever how they achieved this and the other effects in Ghostbusters without the need of CGI; Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History makes for an interesting read. Did you know, for example, that Slimer in the 1984 Ghostbusters is a puppet and the hot dogs were over-sized props?

Overall, the 1984 Ghostbusters is not to the quality of an Alfred Hitchcock film but it is most certainly one of the greatest comedies of all time. It's an immensely fun and entertaining movie with natural chemistry between the four leads and instantly quotable lines such as the 'steady paycheck'. In the age before CGI, the effects still stand up today. The SIimer puppet is an extraordinary piece of puppetry and the fact that it is a puppet is barely noticeable in the film. Ghostbusters, rather than being a parody of horror, is a film that works because the situations are taken seriously in order to provide the comedy. It also has some brilliant social satire on pest exterminators and features a standout performance by Bill Murray. If you haven't seen the 1984 Ghostbusters by now then there's something strange in your neighborhood and you need to call...into your local shop that sells DVDs/Blurays straight away to buy yourself a copy.

5

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Moveforums.com exclusive teaser - Tuesday 12th July review

(Not) Valentine's Day. Bummer.

Now can't you see that all we need to be a go-getter
Gotta make your own decisions, you gotta go for what ya know
It comes a time in our lives, you wanna be bigger
Gotta keep, keep on pushing, you gotta learn to take control, yeah

What the hell is going on? It's pandemonium out there!

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Ghostbusters 2

Making a sequel to a movie is always hard for the cast and crew involved, especially when that film is highly regarded as one of the greatest comedies of all time. The three main players in the Ghostbusters franchise Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd had one hell of a problem ahead of them. The film not only had to be funny but it also had to appeal to both its newly gained fanbase and casual viewers who may not have seen the first Ghostbusters at the same time. Whilst this is also the case for many other sequels, like the Back to the Future series this is made harder when the genre is comedy - something that is very subjective to begin with - mixed with elements of science fiction (a genre that opens itself up to people tearing the plot apart to point out plot holes due to its very complexity). So did they succeed?

Well, yes and no. Ghostbusters 2 isn't the worst sequel of all time but neither is it the greatest. The film sees the Ghostbusters out of business after they were sued for damaging property and banned from investigating the supernatural following the events of the first movie. Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) are working as children's party entertainers (their theme song having become nothing more than silly party music), Egon is experimenting on human emotions at a laboratory at Columbia University and Peter Venkman is the presenter of the chat show World of the Psychic. Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) now works as an art restorer at the Manhattan Museum of Art and working on a painting of a sixteenth century tyrant called Vigo the Carpathian. Soon it becomes clear that the spirit of Vigo (Wilhelm von Homburg) is living in the painting when Dana's workmate Doctor Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol) is instructed by Vigo to find a child for him to possess so he can return to the living in the New Year. The Ghostbusters are drawn into illegally pursuing the paranormal when Dana asks them for help after something possesses the pram containing her baby Oscar (William T. Deutschendorf). They obtain a sample of pink slime in an abandoned underground tunnel, however their breaking of the law is discovered when Ray accidentally creates a New York blackout by kicking a pipe that breaks and causes an electric cable to short out. They are arrested and found guilty in court but when they manage to capture the ghosts of two murderers who appear in the courtroom, the charges are dropped and they are granted permission to reopen their Ghostbusting business in order to investigate Dana's case further.

The concept of mood slime (slime that reacts to positive and negative emotional states and can negatively influence the behaviour of those who encounter it) is an interesting one as it brings a lot of fun ideas. I like how slime has a purpose in the second film compared to the first movie where it was basically a one-note joke in the form of the line 'He slimed me' and it's nice how the Ghostbusters themselves are exposed to the negative emotions having direct contact with the slime can cause. It also features one of the rare scenes that's almost as good as the humour in the first film when Peter asks Ray if he sleeps with the slime. Ray's silence invoking that he does is a hilarious reaction and one of the only memorable pieces of comedy compared to the first film.

That's not to say I rarely laughed during Ghostbusters 2; I just didn't laugh as much as during the first movie. The first Ghostbusters has numerous quotable lines that you would be hard-pressed not to remember. Ghostbusters 2 on the other hand is the kind of comedy you giggle at during the first viewing then forget majority of the jokes shortly after. The most memorable scene is probably World of the Psychic, when in response to a guest called Elaine (Chloe Webb) informing Peter Venkman that the world will end on Valentine's Day, to which Peter replies with 'Valentine's Day. Bummer,'. The Valentine's Day line is pretty much the only one from Ghostbusters 2 I see people quote on the internet or in memes. It is impactful mainly because of Bill Murray's excellent delivery but also because like the 'Steady Paycheck' line from the first movie it's another case of Harold Ramis providing a line that feels true and the most authentic thing a real person would say if they were told the world was to end on Valentine's Day.

My main problem with Ghostbusters 2 is that at times the film really drags. The sewer and courtroom scenes in particular feel like they could have been heavily cut down. Editors Donn Cambern and Sheldon Kahn haven't done the best job at compositing together a movie as engaging as the first one and the film would have worked better with a faster pace. When you watch a film like Ghostbusters, you don't want to see long courtroom scenes: you want to see them busting ghosts. That could also be a plot problem. Yeah, it is probably realistic that the government would shut them down and fine them for property damage but being realistic doesn't necessarily make for the best film. Why couldn't they have been rewarded for saving New York anyway? After all, the first one ends with them as celebrities.

Thankfully Ghostbusters 2 is elevated up from being a poor sequel by the strength of its ensemble. The four Ghostbusters Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Winston Zeddemore still have the chemistry from the first film and thankfully Ernie Hudson has a bigger part compared to the first movie. All four of them really bounce off each other and help a mediocre script become something a bit more special. Ghostbusters 2 is worth watching just to see the unique friendship these four Ghostbusters share. The comedy may not be as good but the ensemble cast is still fun to watch and it is better than a lot of other comedy movies out there (I'm looking at you, Little Fockers).

Slimer returning as the Ghostbusters' pet is a fun transition for the character. Whilst he had a more antagonistic role in the first Ghostbusters, it would have felt like too much of a rehash to feature him in a villainous part so soon after the first movie. I didn't have a problem with Slimer's role in Ghostbusters: The Videogame and I doubt I will with the Reboot but they are both twenty five years and thirty two years after Ghostbusters (1984) respectively. There's a big enough gap to make Slimer fulfilling the same role feel fresh as opposed to repetitive. You wouldn't be able to get away with the Librarian Ghost as a pet but with Slimer being more a mischievous type of ghost rather than an overly threatening one there's a certain amount of logic to it. It makes sense and it therefore isn't too much of a stretch to believe it.

One element that doesn't quite work is this film's version of Stay Puft. The Statue of Liberty stomping across New York is a cool visual but ultimately compared to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man it is a bit flat. It is a neat idea that the Ghostbusters control it with an NES controller though; I could imagine kids among the cinema audience would have found the notion of being able to use a game controller to move something the size of the Statue of Liberty magical. And maybe that's the problem many have with Ghostbusters 2? Maybe it's the fact that it panders too much to children rather than maintaining the more young adult demographic of the first movie? Did they try too hard to impress children? Maybe if they had approached Ghostbusters 2 in the same way as the first Ghostbusters it would have resulted in a better movie?

Overall, Ghostbusters 2 isn't a terrible sequel but neither is it one of the best. The comedy isn't as strong as the first movie and some of the scenes tend to drag as a result of bad editing and poor narrative decisions but there is still a lot of fun to be had by watching the film. The chemistry between the four Ghostbusters is still evident and the Mood Slime is a nice concept. It also attempts something new by making Slimer a pet of the Ghostbusters rather than an antagonist, which surprisingly does work given that he was never one of the more threatening ghosts anyway. The Statue of Liberty climax is nowhere near as strong as Stay Puft Marshmallow Man however and sometimes you get the impression this sequel tried too hard to pander to kids rather than the Young Adult demographic of the first film (since 1984 the first Ghostbusters has been rated 12 by the BBFC compared to Ghostbusters 2's PG rating). Ghostbusters 2 is certainly worth watching over lackluster sequels like Men In Black 2 or Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but at the same time the Ghostbustin' isn't going to make you feel as good as it did in the first movie.

3

[SeeingisBelieving]

The Valentine's Day line is pretty much the only one from Ghostbusters 2 I see people quote on the internet or in memes.

Why is no-one quoting: "Sometimes **** happens, someone has to deal with it and 'who you gonna call?'" :rolleyes:

Yeah, it is probably realistic that the government would shut them down and fine them for property damage but being realistic doesn't necessarily make for the best film. Why couldn't they have been rewarded for saving New York anyway? After all, the first one ends with them as celebrities.

But you could just as easily say why did they need to get kicked out of the college in the first one? The beauty of these films was that they had a firm grip on reality and real – often mundane – situations, so that when the weirdness turned up it was convincing.

The four Ghostbusters Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Winston Zeddemore

What was it you were saying about a proofreader ;) !?

One element that doesn't quite work is this film's version of Stay Puft. The Statue of Liberty stomping across New York is a cool visual but ultimately compared to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man it is a bit flat.

It's funny, I never thought of it like that but I suppose it's true – they perhaps felt they needed something similar but made it a heroic thing instead of a threat.

It also attempts something new by making Slimer a pet of the Ghostbusters rather than an antagonist, which surprisingly does work given that he was never one of the more threatening ghosts anyway.

I wonder if The Real Ghostbusters was on by then? Because he was a pet in that.

One thing that surprised me recently was finding out Max von Sydow was the voice of Vigo – it should have been obvious the way he says "Begone you pitiful half-men!".

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Why is no-one quoting: "Sometimes **** happens, someone has to deal with it and 'who you gonna call?'" :rolleyes:
I've seen it quoted about twice elsewhere on the internet. Personally for me it doesn't stand out compared to 'We came, we saw, we kicked its ass' or 'That's a big twinkie'.



But you could just as easily say why did they need to get kicked out of the college in the first one?
I think that scene is vital though because it gives them the motivation to group together and set up the business, whereas with the legal complications and court scene could be removed without affecting the movie too much.

If you took away them getting kicked out of Columbia University you would have to come up with a whole new reason for them to start Ghostbusting and explain things like how they have the time to do it alongside their university jobs where they will inevitably be working long hours. Alternatively you could make them unemployed but then that could make Winston too similar to the Ghostbusters when he needs to be the person joining because he just needs a job.

Of course, you'd still have Peter, Ray and Egon with the scientific knowledge Winston doesn't have but to me it would still undermine the latter's reason for joining if the other three were unemployed.

And what else could you do?

Have them give up boring jobs? But then if they have such scientific knowledge then what are they doing in mundane jobs to begin with?


I'd agree with that. I think the beginning of Ghostbusters 2 with the Ghostbusters taking on other jobs such as party entertainers is good but I would rather the Ghostbusting business had just gone bust due to a lack of supernatural hauntings since the first Ghostbusters rather than bringing legal stuff into it. That to me would have been a greater social commentary.



[QUOTE]What was it you were saying about a proofreader ;) !?
I'm becoming like the notorious Doctor Who: The Complete History authors, who keep making typos in the books!


It's funny, I never thought of it like that but I suppose it's true – they perhaps felt they needed something similar but made it a heroic thing instead of a threat.
That raises an interesting point actually - it is commendable how Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis take risks by reversing what would have been threats in the first movie in Slimer and the Statue of Liberty. Even if it doesn't quite work in my view, it's certainly not a safe sequel like (as much as I love it) Jurassic World.


I wonder if The Real Ghostbusters was on by then? Because he was a pet in that.
The Real Ghostbusters aired between 1986-1991 and Ghostbusters 2 was released in 1989 so it had definitely been on television. I'm not sure if they would have made the decision based on the cartoon but it is certainly possible if Slimer as a pet was popular with viewers. I have heard of The Real Ghostbusters but I wasn't alive when it aired so I don't know what the reaction was to cartoon pet Slimer.

One thing that surprised me recently was finding out Max von Sydow was the voice of Vigo – it should have been obvious the way he says "Begone you pitiful half-men!".
Yeah, that is interesting. It's a good voice for Vigo, sort of how you would imagine somebody from the sixteenth century would speak. All theatrical and boastful.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I've seen it quoted about twice elsewhere on the internet. Personally for me it doesn't stand out compared to 'We came, we saw, we kicked its ass' or 'That's a big twinkie'.

Difficult to say that when it's Bill Murray, though. Everything's gold in his hands :) .

I think that scene is vital though because it gives them the motivation to group together and set up the business, whereas with the legal complications and court scene could be removed without affecting the movie too much.

I mentioned them getting kicked out because it's a similar 'disgrace' to being in court in the second film. Really, I just see it as a helpful dose of the ordinary, and it makes it more real.

I'd agree with that. I think the beginning of Ghostbusters 2 with the Ghostbusters taking on other jobs such as party entertainers is good but I would rather the Ghostbusting business had just gone bust due to a lack of supernatural hauntings since the first Ghostbusters rather than bringing legal stuff into it. That to me would have been a greater social commentary.

I think it's all perfect – the idea that the authorities turn on the city's saviours in this way and try to discredit them.

The Real Ghostbusters aired between 1986-1991 and Ghostbusters 2 was released in 1989 so it had definitely been on television. I'm not sure if they would have made the decision based on the cartoon but it is certainly possible if Slimer as a pet was popular with viewers. I have heard of The Real Ghostbusters but I wasn't alive when it aired so I don't know what the reaction was to cartoon pet Slimer.

You literally hadn't lived! It was great; I remember it well. Check out the episode that pastiches Citizen Kane, it's a belter :p.

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You literally hadn't lived! It was great; I remember it well. Check out the episode that pastiches Citizen Kane, it's a belter :p.
I'd heard about it ages ago but I've always been put off by how it isn't the cast from the film voicing their characters in cartoon form. Might check it out one day though.

[SeeingisBelieving]

I'd heard about it ages ago but I've always been put off by how it isn't the cast from the film voicing their characters in cartoon form. Might check it out one day though.

So you weren't put off by the characters looking nothing like the actors :rolleyes:;) ? – 'cause I was, even at that age :).

What's interesting is that Lorenzo Music, who voiced Peter Venkman originally in the series used to do the voice for Garfield. It was funny that Bill Murray returned the favour by voicing Garfield in the live action film.

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So you weren't put off by the characters looking nothing like the actors :rolleyes:;) ? – 'cause I was, even at that age :).

.

That too. It's ironic how thirty years on Egon looks more like the Reboot's Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) than Egon Spengler.

[SeeingisBelieving]

That too. It's ironic how thirty years on Egon looks more like the Reboot's Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) than Egon Spengler.

Yeah, I thought that. She looks like she actually might be quite funny.

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Ghostbusters (2016)

For months on end, Paul Feig's Ghostbusters has been hit with criticism - both from sexists and those just generally opposed to the idea of the original Ghostbusters not returning - but this review isn't about that. I may feel sympathy for Paul Feig and the cast because of the amount of unnecessary abuse they have faced from those who cannot accept that there are funny female comedians out there but I would never take it into account when reviewing a movie. I review films on here or on my Dalekbuster Screen 5 blog site based on their own merit and not on the hate campaigns that may or may not surround them.

The Ghostbusters reboot follows Columbia University professor Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), who is approached to investigate the haunted Eldridge Mansion by historian Ed Mulgrave (Ed Begley Jnr) after reading her book Ghosts of our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively. Erin is initially confused as she didn't publish the book however before long she realises her co-author Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) must be to blame and sets off to confront her. There she meets nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and after Erin tells them about Ed's request to investigate the mansion they set off to confront the ghost of Gertrude Eldridge (Bess Rous), who was locked in the cellar after murdering a bunch of people in the building. Their encounter is recorded and uploaded to YouTube. Erin is fired by her boss Harold Filmore (Charles Dance) as they don't consider the study of paranormal proper science. Abby and Jillian hope their boss Dean (Steve Higgins) will be more lenient due to their workplace being a less prestigious university but they are soon shown the door. Together Jillian, Abby and Erin decide to start a Ghostbusting business and set up shop at a Zhu's chinese restaurant after finding their first choice - a rather familiar firehouse - too expensive. They hire Australian Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) as their receptionist and before long are visited by their first client, Patty (Leslie Jones), who saw a ghost in the subway where she works. Through their investigations they find a guy called Rowan (Neil Casey) has been building devices to magnify paranormal presence and they set off to trap the ghosts he is releasing.

I hadn't seen any Paul Feig films before but after watching this movie it isn't hard to see why he has earned such a reputation as a highly-regarded comedy director. The Ghostbusters Reboot may not be as good as the 1984 original but it is a much more deserving follow-up than the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters 2. Whereas the sequel lacked the memorable lines of the original, the Reboot features many pieces of dialogue which I feel over time may gain an iconic status. One of my favourite lines was 'Rowan, pick up your virginity from the lost and found!', spoken by Abby during the confrontation with Rowan's Ghost. This is a line that I feel could become the new generation's 'This man has no dick!' as it has the same wit and charm of the quoted line from the original.

The directing of this film shows a clear understanding of what made the 1984 Ghostbusters work so well. Paul Feig has completely grasped that the comedy from Ghostbusters comes from the scary situations the characters are thrown into rather than it being a parody of the horror genre. The events of the film feel genuine for the characters who interact in it and this is reflected in the score by Theodore Shapiro, which feels more like a soundtrack for a horror movie than a comedy. There's no silly 'wah wahs' (despite the noise Jillian Holtzmann makes at the failed proton stream during the subway sequence) or music that cries 'THIS IS FUNNY'; instead the soundtrack consists of music that could easily have been taken from The Shining or The Blair Witch Project. You get the sense that the reboot could have taken a darker, more serious edge and it puts into context what Paul Feig had said in an early interview about taking inspiration from The Walking Dead. Talking about influences, I am sure he must have been inspired by a certain other show too.

The show I am referring to is Doctor Who. There is a scene in the film where Patty is chased by a plastic dummy that reminds me a lot of the Autons from the show. I am not certain if it is a deliberate reference but it does feel as though it could be an in-joke from the director. Indeed, the movie's approach is very similar to that of Doctor Who - particularly the 2005 revival. Like the popular BBC1 show, the Ghostbusters Reboot uses the notion of 'hiding behind the sofa' (or in this case, 'hiding behind the cinema seat') in that amid the more light-hearted elements it deliberately sets out to scare you. There are a few jump scares scattered through the film and it helps to establish how serious the ghost threat is. The film also ingeniously follows the way Doctor Who's 2005 Revival introduced its brand to a new audience: just like the episode Rose saw the debut of a new Doctor, Ghostbusters (2016) doesn't bring back the original team but instead showcases a new one in order to familiarise a new generation with the concept of Proton Packs and PKE Meters. This is a wise decision as it doesn't alienate those who are new to the Ghostbusters brand. There is no reason why the old team cannot be brought back later on anyway, especially when there are already plans to establish a Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe. Whose to say Ghostbusters (2016) can't be a parallel universe from Ghostbusters (1984)? Personally I would rather see a new audience introduced to Ghostbusters with the 1984 Ghostbusters returning later on than Peter, Ray and Winston to be brought back in a third movie that alienates those unfamiliar with the brand and ultimately becomes a flop.

Of course it is possible that the Reboot could be a flop anyway but on the strength of the cast I hope otherwise. The four leading ladies have a huge amount of chemistry together and as with the original four it feels like lightning in a bottle. Kristen Wiig is much funnier than the trailers give her credit for. Many of her best moments are left out of the trailers and suffice to say she makes for a better lead than I had expected. Melissa McCarthy is more entertaining than her trailer appearances also, although the standouts of the Ghostbusters are unsurprisingly Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Kate McKinnon is wonderfully quirky as Jillian Holtzmann; one scene sees her eating Pringles whilst Erin confronts the ghost of Gertrude. Leslie Jones certainly is not the racist stereotype the reboot haters like to claim; she may not be a scientist but she proves to be extremely knowledgable about the history of New York and is therefore no less intelligent than the other Ghostbusters. Patty feels like a progressive step forward for acting roles within the black community and I hope to see more black actors given the opportunity to play characters like her.

The star of the reboot is rather ironically one of the male cast members. Chris Hemsworth is a revelation as Kevin; he is brilliantly endearing as the bumbling idiot and for someone who is known more as a dramatic actor provides some of the film's biggest laughs. The scene where Kevin displays some of the logos he has created for the Ghostbusting business including a female ghost with big boobs and an 'invisible ghost holding a hot dog' is comedy gold. If this sounds sexist towards the male gender, I can assure you it isn't. Everybody who isn't a Ghostbuster be it male or female is portrayed as an idiot, which to be fair is pretty accurate to the present time given that we're living in a world where Boris Johnson is foreign secretary of the United Kingdom and Donald Trump is running for president of the United States.

Another complaint I have heard is that the cameos and references to the 1984 original take you out of the film. This wasn't the case for me. Whilst many of the cameos didn't add much to the movie they didn't ruin the cinema experience for me either. They were just there, with the exception of Bill Murray, who has a slightly bigger and more important role as skeptic Martin Heiss. Bill Murray is definitely the most meaningful of the cameos; whilst his character is significantly different to Peter Venkman it is fun to see him play the complete opposite of Peter. Martin Heiss is probably the closest to this movie's Walter Peck, although there is no direct copy of the character. Whilst Walter was acting under authority, Martin's motivations come more from his disbelief of the paranormal. This nicely ties in with Erin's character arc of wanting others to trust that she has seen ghosts, which date back to when she experienced her first ghostly encounter as a child and nobody believed her.

My biggest gripe with this film is the way it relegates what should be an important scene to the end credits. During the credits, a possessed Kevin is shown leading soldiers in a dance sequence. This was removed from an earlier point of the film and explains why the same soldiers are placed into such odd positions by Kevin when they are under his possession. With no context, any members of the audience who decide to leave during the end credits will wonder what the sequence in the film with Kevin and the soldiers was about as it makes little sense until the credits play. The dance is a fun moment that could have worked nicely during the ghost battle in New York and the way it is relegated to the credits feels like an attempt by the studio to convince cinema-goers to stay until the end of the film. I am guessing they were worried viewers would miss the numerous mid-credits scenes and decided to include it to give them a reason to stay in the auditorium. There is still a problem that some may leave before the end credits however and miss the last tantalising scene; perhaps they should have announced in the press that there would be scenes during the credits instead?

Overall, Ghostbusters (2016) is a fun reboot of the 1984 original and feels like a more natural follow-up for the first film than Ghostbusters 2. Paul Feig seems to have a perfect understanding of what made the original Ghostbusters work so well; the comedy comes from the scary situations the characters are placed into rather than a parody of the horror genre. Like Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters (2016)'s cast have a natural chemistry together and provide many laughs; they are the perfect ensemble and I doubt Sony would be able to find any actors more suitable for the franchise going forward than Melissa McCarthy and company. It seems like a lot of inspiration has been taken from Doctor Who (especially in the opening tour guide scene) and the way it sets out to scare its audience whilst offering a comforting blanket in the form of its heroes, as well as the strategy taken by the 2005 Revival to introduce an existing brand to a new audience. Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth are the star performances; both offer the movie's most hilarious moments be it eating Pringles in the face of danger or coming up with terrible logo designs. The only major problem is the way a major sequence becomes little more than a scene played during the credits. Kevin's dance sequence really should have been a part of the movie's story as its exclusion leaves a small hole in the narrative that doesn't really make sense.

If you decide to see this film, make sure you see it in 3D; the 3D effects are spectacular - proton streams, slime and ghostly hands all come out of the screen - and the film would likely feel flat without them. Ghostbusters (2016) seems to have been made with the 3D effects in mind much in the same way as James Cameron intended Avatar to be seen in the format.

Simply put: this is one film you don't want to miss in 3D. The power of Sean compels you!

5

[SeeingisBelieving]

For months on end, Paul Feig's Ghostbusters has been hit with criticism - both from sexists and those just generally opposed to the idea of the original Ghostbusters not returning - but this review isn't about that.

Non-sexists have also been critical. That's like saying George Takei is anti-gay just because he's been appalled at the idea of them changing Sulu's character.

I may feel sympathy for Paul Feig and the cast because of the amount of unnecessary abuse they have faced from those who cannot accept that there are funny female comedians out there

Again, I find that a sweeping statement.

If you decide to see this film, make sure you see it in 3D; the 3D effects are spectacular - proton streams, slime and ghostly hands all come out of the screen - and the film would likely feel flat without them. Ghostbusters (2016) seems to have been made with the 3D effects in mind much in the same way as James Cameron intended Avatar to be seen in the format.

Simply put: this is one film you don't want to miss in 3D. The power of Sean compels you!

That's interesting to know – I've heard the same about Dredd.

The Doctor Who comparisons are interesting because I've always thought Ghostbusters was the closest thing the Americans have to our show.

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Non-sexists have also been critical.
True - but mainly by people who haven't seen the film.

That's interesting to know – I've heard the same about Dredd.

I haven't seen Dredd but the 3D is comparable to that in Journey To The Center of the Earth, which had incredible 3D effects.

[SeeingisBelieving]

True - but mainly by people who haven't seen the film.

Well apart from the trailer, nobody had :p. I don't know what they're saying now it's out other than that it's getting positive reviews.

I haven't seen Dredd but the 3D is comparable to that in Journey To The Center of the Earth, which had incredible 3D effects.

I've seen Dredd in 2D and that was stunning enough, so the 3D version probably does enhance it even more.

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I've seen Dredd in 2D and that it was stunning enough, so the 3D version probably does enhance it even more.

Unfortunately that doesn't follow. It largely depends on how the director and studio treat 3D. If they see it as a throwaway gimmick then they just put it through the cheapest 3D conversion (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) however if they see the storytelling potential the effect can have, you find a lot more thought is put into the way it helps enhance the narrative (Jurassic World).

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Terror of the Autons

Jon Pertwee's era of Doctor Who took a lot of inspiration from the spy genre, so it is hardly surprising that producer Barry Letts decided to add a Bond-style villain in the form of the Master. What is surprising is how long it took them to do it. The Master wasn't introduced into Jon Pertwee's second season in the role in 1971's Terror of the Autons. As we all know, the character became a big hit with audiences and has gained the status of one of the Doctor's most iconic enemies.

When the Master (Roger Degaldo) arrives on Earth in his TARDIS, he steals a Nestene meteorite and hooks it up to a radio telescope in order to boost a frequency wave that will bring to life the plastic of Earth. Meanwhile, the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) introduces the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) to his new assistant Jo Grant (Katy Manning). At first, they don't get on due to Jo's clumsiness and lack of scientific knowledge however over the course of the story they become firm friends and the Doctor starts to accept her as his companion. Together they must stop the Master from summoning the Nestene and destroying humanity with an army of Autons.

Whilst the first story to feature the Autons - Spearhead From Space - focused entirely on shop window dummies, here other forms of plastic are explored as potential threats to the Doctor and his companion and it is nice to see the concept expanded upon. The Autons become a much more terrifying threat when not only are shop window dummies deadly but you cannot trust phone cords and plastic daffodils either. There is even a deadly chair that in perhaps one of the show's most gruesome moments swallows Farrell Plastics' head of production George McDermott (Harry Towb) whole. It is not surprising that this serial was criticised by many at the time for being too scary for kids - the special effects may not be the best the classic series has to offer but many of the scenes like many of Doctor Who's greatest stories wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie. Other examples of this include the Dalek sucker coming towards Barbara in The Daleks and Zygon Harry attacking Sarah with a pitchfork in Terror of the Zygons.

Jo Grant is immediately endearing as the Doctor's new companion also. Katy Manning plays the part brilliantly, oozing a certain charm and likeability as the bumbling assistant. Whilst some may question the Brigadier's decision to replace Liz Shaw with her despite her lack of qualifications as the Doctor does in the serial, by the end of the serial you really don't care. Katy Manning sells the character right from the beginning and I have a feeling she will always be considered one of the show's most beloved companions. It is a shame that her debut also happens to be the debut of the Master as she is unfortunately over-shadowed but the production crew at the time weren't to know that the Master would go on to become one of the show's most iconic characters.

It's certainly not hard to see why he has become such an iconic character either. The Master is a brilliant adversary for the Doctor; essentially he is a direct reflection of the Doctor. Whilst the Doctor fights for the good of the universe, the Master fights for chaos and destruction. He is essentially the Moriarty to the Doctor's Sherlock or the Loki to the Doctor's Thor. Compared to, say, John Simm's Master, here he is treated as more of a behind the scenes presence and for the most part it works better when he is not the front and centre of the plot. The drawback is that it results in a plot resolution that comes out of nowhere. The Doctor manages to persuade the Master round but we are not shown enough of the Doctor and the Master's 'frenemy' relationship to make it convincing that he would be so easily persuaded. I would rather the Doctor had managed to out-wit the Master in his plan rather than talk him round.

Roger Degaldo is brilliant as the Master though and will always be to many the definitive version of the character. He has a certain sinister charm as the Doctor's Time Lord nemesis and doesn't need to act insane in order to have a big presence onscreen. Whilst I like John Simm's later portrayal of the character, I would have rather seen him play the part like Roger Degaldo as opposed to bearing more similarities to The Joker. Michelle Gomez as Missy will likely always be my favourite take on the character but if it were not for the legacy left by Roger Degaldo it is highly doubtful that her version of the Master would exist. Roger Degaldo's performance is the reason why the Master has become such an iconic part of Doctor Who mythology; the part was very clearly written for him as he has a wonderful sense of gravitas in the role. Roger Degaldo quite simply WAS the Master.

One of the things I think is a shame is that the Master no longer has the hypnotic powers he displays here. I like the idea of the Master hypnotising people; it helps to show how different he is to the Doctor despite being of the same race and it bears similarities to brain-washing techniques seen in real life ruthless dictators such as Adolf Hitler or Vladimir Putin. The notion that somebody could mess your mind and, for example, persuade you to set off a bomb is a scary one and something that is actually quite true to current society with the way terrorists have twisted people into exacting their plans of terror. A brilliant decision by writer Robert Holmes to have Jo Grant placed under the Master's hypnotic powers also as it leaves the viewer feeling uneasy to see one of the Doctor's friends turn against him. I would like the new series to show Missy hypnotise the companion for an entire series as I think the uneasiness that comes from somebody close to the Doctor being placed under the spell would make for an interesting angle to be explored in more depth.

Overall, Terror of the Autons takes the concept of the Autons and offers a deeper exploration of how they can be a threat to our planet. Not only can they possess shop window dummies now but telephone coils, chairs and plastic daffodils can also be brought to life - giving the terrifying impression that nothing made of plastic material is safe from the clutches of the Nestene. The story serves as a great introduction for Katy Manning's Jo Grant - one of the show's most charming companions - however it is over-shadowed by the debut of Roger Degaldo as the Master. It is easy to see why the Master has developed such a legacy within Doctor Who after watching Roger Degaldo's performance in the role; he is amazing and a true highlight of the Autons' return, even if the character's tendency to act behind the scenes rather than at the forefront of the episode results in a rushed conclusion that comes out of nowhere. It's a shame that the new series has opted to ignore the Master's hypnotic powers as they are a great way to emphasise the difference between the Doctor and the Master, as well as offering a nice sense of uneasiness to the plot when the Doctor's new companion Jo Grant is placed under his hypnosis. I hope for Series 10 that Missy places the twelfth Doctor's new companion Bill under his (or rather her) hypnotic powers but somehow I doubt it is going to happen.

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[SeeingisBelieving]

Unfortunately that doesn't follow. It largely depends on how the director and studio treat 3D. If they see it as a throwaway gimmick then they just put it through the cheapest 3D conversion (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) however if they see the storytelling potential the effect can have, you find a lot more thought is put into the way it helps enhance the narrative (Jurassic World).

In this case I don't think it was seen that way. What they do visually in the film is so brilliant I can only imagine that 3D would make it even better.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Jon Pertwee's era of Doctor Who took a lot of inspiration from the spy genre, so it is hardly surprising that producer Barry Letts decided to add a Bond-style villain in the form of the Master.

The idea came from Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty – which also made the Brigadier the Watson to the Doctor's Holmes. It's funny how Tom Baker called Pertwee's Doctor Holmesian as he reminds me a lot of Basil Rathbone's version of Holmes.

Zygon Harry attacking Sarah with a pitchfork in Terror of the Zygons.

…in a barn on top of haystacks. Barns are scary — anyone see Chimera in the Nineties?

Whilst the Doctor fights for the good of the universe, the Master fights for chaos and destruction.

I remember Delgado's Master more as someone who wanted control over the universe, rather than wanting to destroy it or disrupt it. What is it the Doctor says to him in Colony in Space? "I want to see the universe, not rule it".

He is essentially the Moriarty to the Doctor's Sherlock or the Loki to the Doctor's Thor.

Another close reference would be that he's the Magneto to the Doctor's Professor X.

I would rather the Doctor had managed to out-wit the Master in his plan rather than talk him round.

Yeah, that was a bit too easy.

Roger Degaldo is brilliant as the Master though and will always be to many the definitive version of the character.

Disappoint us better, I say;) . I'm sure people said the same about Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger and yet Jared Leto looks like he might take the crown off both of them. I think Delgado was fantastic, though. I can't see anyone topping him.

One of the things I think is a shame is that the Master no longer has the hypnotic powers he displays here. I like the idea of the Master hypnotising people;

Me too – although as well as the hypnotism angle the title "Master" was also conceived as being a qualification to chime with "Doctor".

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…in a barn on top of haystacks. Barns are scary — anyone see Chimera in the Nineties?
Nope, I haven't seen it. Admittedly there are a few films I have yet to see.

I remember Delgado's Master more as someone who wanted control over the universe, rather than wanting to destroy it or disrupt it. What is it the Doctor says to him in Colony in Space? "I want to see the universe, not rule it".
I can see that argument. I was using chaos and destruction in more of a broader sense really, taking into account future Masters as well as Roger Degaldo.

Yeah, that was a bit too easy.
I might use that scene as an example to anyone who says Rowan in the new Ghostbusters is defeated too easily. You haven't seen an easy defeat until you watch Terror of the Autons' conclusion!


Disappoint us better, I say;) . I'm sure people said the same about Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger and yet Jared Leto looks like he might take the crown off both of them. I think Delgado was fantastic, though. I can't see anyone topping him.
He is essentially the Tom Baker of the Master. I think he is the incarnation many think of first when discussing the character.

Me too – although as well as the hypnotism angle the title "Master" was also conceived as being a qualification to chime with "Doctor".
That's an interesting point - and, of course, 'Master' and 'Doctor' both have opposite connotations. That brings it back to your earlier point - 'Master' suggests a 'ruler' of something whereas a 'Doctor' is of course a healer.

[SeeingisBelieving]

Nope, I haven't seen it. Admittedly there are a few films I have yet to see.

Yeah, I'll admit to that too ;):rolleyes:.

I can see that argument. I was using chaos and destruction in more of a broader sense really, taking into account future Masters as well as Roger Degaldo.

Yeah, I think they go more for the chaos and destruction stuff in the Eighties and later. I liked him best at the beginning.

He is essentially the Tom Baker of the Master. I think he is the incarnation many think of first when discussing the character.

I suppose so – it'd be great to know which one he is for definite. I think 12 myself.

That's an interesting point - and, of course, 'Master' and 'Doctor' both have opposite connotations. That brings it back to your earlier point - 'Master' suggests a 'ruler' of something whereas a 'Doctor' is of course a healer.

Thing is, these were supposed to be 'renegade' titles they'd assumed when they escaped from Gallifrey. The Master wasn't always called that – I know in the books his original name was Koschei after the evil magician in The Firebird.

Given the original conception for the Master I see the name meaning 'the best at' first and then all the other stuff.