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Yeah it was a great bit of misdirection and it also allowed the Daleks to take centre stage.
It also helps to highlight just how truly evil the Daleks are: that they will use the curiosity, wonder and imagination of children to their advantage. If that happened in real life, the poor kid would be traumatised by it. There are a couple of books that explore what happened to her after the events of Remembrance of the Daleks. One of them sees her in a mental asylum as she never fully recovered.

It's really good – it's a special story for me because it was the first Colin Baker story I watched. Growing up I wasn't familiar with his Doctor at all, so he always interested me, especially as he was the one before mine. All I can say is, he didn't disappoint .
The first Colin Baker Doctor Who story I watched was The Twin Dilemma. The Two Doctors was my second.



It also helps to highlight just how truly evil the Daleks are: that they will use the curiosity, wonder and imagination of children to their advantage. If that happened in real life, the poor kid would be traumatised by it. There are a couple of books that explore what happened to her after the events of Remembrance of the Daleks. One of them sees her in a mental asylum as she never fully recovered.
Oh, that's very interesting to know. Yes, the Daleks are the nastiest Doctor Who villains bar none.

The first Colin Baker Doctor Who story I watched was The Twin Dilemma. The Two Doctors was my second.
Vengeance on Varos was the second one for me, and it's my favourite .



G-Force

Disney have had so many live-action hits recently that it's hard to forget some of them haven't been quite that good. Case in point: G-Force. A film that had a strong concept for a family film (who doesn't want to see secret agent guinea pigs?) but weak execution. Whilst G-Force merchandise was hard to avoid at the time, thankfully it seems to have been pretty much forgotten. And quite right too.

The film follows a guinea pig called Darwin (Sam Rockwell) who leads a team of secret agents: martial artist Juarez (Penelope Cruz), weapons and transportation expert Blaster (Tracy Morgan), cyber-intelligence mole expert Speckles (Nicolas Cage) and exploration agent fly Mooch (Dee Bradley Baker). When the team investigate the home of businessman Leonard Saber (Bill Nighy), the business owner of Saberling Technology and a person who has been under FBI investigation for a while, unit leader Ben's (Zach Galifianakis) superior Kip Killian (Will Arnett) finds out about the unauthorised mission and shuts the secret service down, instead deciding to use the intelligent animals as experiments to be killed. They manage to escape and end up in a pet shop, Blaster and Juarez are sold to a family, whilst Speckles ends up in a rubbish truck after pretending to play dead and Darwin manages to escape with his new friend Hurley (Jon Favreau) when Mooch informs them of where the other agents are. Eventually they manage to reunite and successfully stop Saber's home appliance invasion.

This is a deliciously wacky idea yet G-Force doesn't play to any of the madcap insanity that should come from the story's bonkers premise. Instead it is lazy and full of your typical childrens' jokes about pooing and farting. Whilst I imagine the film would be loved by pre-school children, for older viewers it makes for a frustrating experience. Jon Favreau lends a voice to one of the movie's guinea pigs but it feels like he would have been a better fit to direct than Hoyt Yeatman.

Hoyt Yeatman is more known within the industry as a visual effects supervisor on films such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and E.T. so it is bizarre that they chose him to direct this film, especially when he had only directed one film before G-Force - the four minute IMAX film Asteroid Adventure. He clearly wasn't experienced enough for this film and still wouldn't be today, given he unsurprisingly hasn't directed since (although he is set to direct a film called Voyager 3D at some point). What's also not surprising is that the best directed sequences are the special effects. The special effects in this film are extremely convincing and the vfx scenes well-directed. The action sequences are never dull to watch and show the potential that the movie could have had with a better director and better writer.

You see, the dialogue isn't up to scratch either. Comrac and Marianne Wibberley wrote the screenplay together for this film, although it feels more like they wrote a bunch of generic jokes and phrases rather than put any thought into the movie. There's nothing particularly original about anything spoken in the film; probably the most imaginative piece of dialogue is 'one more word like that and I'll turn you into a smokeside of bacon'. It doesn't seem as though the writers were invested in the film idea or concept; they probably weren't ideal matches for the film in the first place seeing as they tend to write films geared towards an older audience such as Bad Boys 2 and National Treasure.

Thank God, then, that I saw this film at the cinema in 3D. It's not the best use of 3D but it is very enjoyable and there are a few moments where some of the effects pop out of the screen (the hamster ball chase being one highlight). This film was clearly made with 3D in mind and is pretty much the only part of the film's creative process that doesn't feel half-hearted. It isn't enough to save the movie but it did make me feel better about paying the price of admission for this film when I saw it at the cinema in 2009. Again, it shows that Hoyt Yeatman is more used to dealing with visual effects than directing a film. If he had been working as a visual effects supervisor instead, I have a feeling G-Force may have fulfilled the potential of its premise.

The lip-synching of the animals is perfect with the actor's voices also. Everything is perfectly in time with the movement of the animal's mouths and it feels more like Babe lip-synchronisation than Cats & Dogs. The cast give it their all; Sam Rockwell is well-cast as Darwin and gives a certain energy to his performance that's somewhat infectious and Nicolas Cage is a lot of fun as Speckles (later in the film
WARNING: spoilers below
revealed to be a traitor
, which neatly plays to his strengths). A post-LEGO Batman Will Arnett is good as his human character Kip Killian and Bill Nighy is memorable as Leonard Saber. Nobody feels like they are phoning in their performances despite the film's bad quality and it seems like they are putting more effort into the film than the production crew.

Overall, G-Force is a film with a great cast, good 3D and strong visual effects however this isn't enough to save a creatively redundant movie. Whilst it has a strong premise, the film feels lazy and half-arsed. The wacky concept of secret agent guinea pigs is never fully realised and instead G-Force is full of lame childrens' jokes that only toddlers will find amusing. The decision to get a visual effects consultant to direct the film is bizarre, as is deciding to hire an actual director to instead provide his voice for the movie. If Jon Favreau had directed G-Force, then it may have stood a chance. Their decision to go with Hoyt Yeatman instead results in one of Disney's worst live-action movies with terrible dialogue by Comrac and Marianne Wibberley. 'Secret agent guinea pigs' is nowhere near as fun as it sounds.




The Blame Game

At Ł2.99 each, the Big Finish Short Trips are ridiculously good value for money. The Short Trips range originally began in 2002 as a series of short story book collections and have since morphed into monthly short story downloads read by an actor from either Doctor Who or Big Finish's past. As of current the Short Trips only feature Doctors 1-8, although personally I hope they include the new series Doctors before long. The latest Short Trips release is The Blame Game, released today on the Big Finish site.

The Blame Game is set early on during Jon Pertwee's time as the Doctor, when Liz Shaw was his companion. The Meddling Monk (Rufus Hound) arrives in the Doctor's lab and offers to take him away from Earth in his TARDIS and drop him off somewhere with readily available time technology. The Doctor would have the ability to bypass his Earth exile...but will he trust the Meddling Monk enough to go along with it?

WARNING: spoilers below
Rufus Hound's Meddling Monk was introduced in the Second Doctor Early Adventures audio story The Black Hole
and he does a good job here of narrating this short. Rufus Hound is an entertainingly excitable narrator, who provides a sense of energy to The Blame Game. He's a wise choice by Big Finish for the audio reading and a perfect reader for anyone new to Big Finish. It seemed a bit random when it were announced considering I didn't realise
WARNING: spoilers below
Rufus Hound was the latest Big Finish Meddling Monk
before I accidentally stumbled across spoilers but having listened to the story I can't imagine anyone else offering a stronger reading of this story than him.

This is a very good story too. It feels like very authentic towards the early Jon Pertwee stories with Liz Shaw, playing into the Doctor's frustration at not being able to leave Earth as a major plot point. You can't really imagine this story taking place elsewhere in the Doctor's timeline. It wouldn't work as well as a first Doctor story, for example. This story was clearly written by Ian Atkins with the third Doctor in mind. It did strike me as strange however that the Brigadier doesn't appear during The Blame Game. He isn't even mentioned or referred to, which is a surprise given how he was one of the main characters during Jon Pertwee's time on the show. The Brigadier's reaction to the Doctor yet again trying to flee his job as scientific advisor would have been fun and it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity.

It's nice to see the early third Doctor away from the Earth-based stories with UNIT though. I like that we get to hear this Doctor on a spaceship. Whilst I like the third Doctor's early Earth adventures, it makes a nice change to see him brought somewhere else towards the beginning of his era. Sometimes the Earth stories can restrain this incarnation a little and being able to include spaceships and planets offers more variation in the stories that can be told.

There is a very nice callback to Spearhead From Space in this story. The spaceship the Doctor, Liz and the Meddling Monk land on has an automated system that communicates in eyebrow movements and the Doctor actually has to use the Delphon eyebrow language he showed Liz in his first story during this one. It is unbelievably cool to have a story where the Doctor has to actually utilise the Delphon language; it is something I have always wanted to see or hear in a third Doctor story and the way Rufus Hound describes it in his narration works well in creating a vivid image in how the Doctor's eyebrows look when doing it. It was a pleasant surprise to find a reference to the Delphon language in this story and it added to the story's overall enjoyable experience for me.

Other references I liked were the nice attempt to fit in the classic series continuity with the new series. There are some neat references to the Time Agents and the 51st Century. This helps Doctor Who to feel like one part of a massive universe, as though things like the Time Agents have always existed for the Doctor. Later this month there's the Classic Doctors, New Monsters box set that will help combine the classic and new series to a larger extent and of course they have already done it with Jago & Litefoot & Strax: The Haunting but it still feels cool to hear new series references in classic series releases.

This is a very good value Short Trip. The story clocks in at 40 minutes, compared to Flywheel Revolution's 32 minutes so it is one of the longer Short Trip releases. There's plenty of enjoyment to be had with this story, from Rufus Hound's energetic narration to the references to the Delphon language and the Time Agents. The move away from an Earth adventure with this release also offers a nice refresher from other third Doctor stories and the focus on the Doctor's desire to break his Earth exile feel authentic to the early Jon Pertwee serials. This Short Trip release is one that any Whovian must listen to, especially if you're a new series fan unsure about the Big Finish releases.




I remember really enjoying the Big Finish Docor Who audio stories, I might pick up this stuff too thanks to this article.
The only thing I would say is it gets a bit complicated towards the end. Requires a few re-listens. Basically, there's mention of a 'lava planet' but it is later revealed to be
WARNING: spoilers below
the Earth at its creation and they are in the centre of it.
.



I remember really enjoying the Big Finish Docor Who audio stories, I might pick up this stuff too thanks to this article.
The last ones I really enjoyed were the Lost Stories. Brilliant stuff, and if only they really had made them for TV.



I'd love to see them do that with the new series. Especially Stephen Fry's story.
Oh yeah, he did have one didn't he?



Iron Man 2 review

Iron Man 2 is known as a superhero film but really at its core it's a survival movie. Which is surprising, given that it's a sequel to arguably one of the best superhero movies of all time.
Great review and I agree with just about everything you've said about this movie.



Speed Racer

Me and my younger brother are currently planning on buying our own car so I thought it would be fun to review a film today that features cars quite prominently. That film is Speed Racer, the 2008 racing movie based on the Speed Racer cartoons that unfortunately wasn't the success it deserved to be. I never saw the Speed Racer cartoons but the film is pretty neat and much more enjoyable to watch than it had any right to be (the trailers for it were horrendous).

Speed Racer follows the story of motorsport racer Speed (Emile Hirsch) whose dream is to win a cross-country car racing rally called 'The Crucible': the same racing rally that saw the death of his brother Rex Racer (Scott Porter). His family - Pops (John Goodman), Mom (Susan Sarandon), brother Spritle (Paulie Litt ) with pet chimpanzee Chim Chim, mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry) and girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) - run a motoring company called Racer Motors. Owner of conglomerate company Royalton Industries Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) offers Speed the opportunity to live in luxury if he agrees to race with him. Speed initially declines due to his father's distrust of big companies however when he accidentally ends up in a crash in his brother's car Mach 6 (unknown to him orchestrated by Arnold) and the family business is threatened with legal action over copyright infringement he agrees to team up with Racer X (Scott Porter) to compete in the Casa Cristo 5000 race in a deal made with racer Taejo Togokahn (Togo Igawa) that if he agrees to do it she'll provide evidence that will free the family business from legal action.

My synopsis makes it sound quite heavy on legalities but I can assure you it isn't. The legal stuff does play a major part in the film's plot but there is more emphasis on races than legal matters. And even though the film is rated PG, it certainly isn't your typical family film. It has more of an early Harry Potter feeling with elements of darkness disguised through bright visuals and an entertaining plot. I never got the impression watching this movie that it was made purely for families. Yeah, there are one or two moments clearly geared towards kids like the pet chimpanzee but overall this is a very fun but also very grown-up film that happens to be rated PG.

One of the things I love about this film is just how wacky it is. The cars feel as though they came straight out of an episode of Wacky Races, with weapons protruding from the vehicles. These include things like saws and 'Jump Jacks' that allow the cars to jump over obstacles. It's like a nice mixture of the magic and wonder of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with the manic car-related slapstick of the Herbie series. The visual effects by company BUF are some of the very best you'll see in cinema and as you would expect from the directors of The Matrix Lana and Lilly Wachowski literally draw-dropping in their execution.

Whilst some would say this film would have been perfect for 3D, I'm actually glad it wasn't made with sterescopic 3D effects. I am a huge fan of 3D (it's my number one viewing choice for any film) but in the case of Speed Racer it would definitely have been too much. I saw this in IMAX and the way the camera's constantly panning around characters with David Tattersall's cinematography and the constant movement in the picture already feels engrossing enough into the racing world of the movie. If 3D had been added on top of that, I would probably have thrown up. And I don't think I'd have been the only one. The cinematography's so strong that you forget it's a flat image and feel like you're actually in the world of the film. This film's cinematography is not given enough credit and in my view it's one of the most beautiful movies in cinematic history.

The races themselves are also excellent. There's a constant motion to them and everything is expertly directed by the Wachowskis. The film never becomes dull; the pacing is superb and it's a shame the movie wasn't successful enough to warrant a sequel as it definitely left me wanting more. Everything in Speed Racer has this wonderful combination of cartoony and videogame-esque visuals that blend together nicely to create a world that on Bluray is one of the prettiest things you'll ever see. You don't get enough of these kind of films currently that are bright, cheery and colourful; unfortunately most films nowadays tend to be all dark, gritty and 'look how dark the world is' and I wish more films would be released like Speed Racer. It even has a catchy theme song ('Go Speed Racer' by Ali Dee and The Deekompressors) during the credits.

The acting is also generally very strong. I love Emile Hirsch as Speed; he is a very charismatic lead and a strong choice for the role of Speed Racer. Scott Porter is another highlight as Racer X/Rex Racer; he has a lot of screen presence and you could imagine him fronting his own movie at some point rather than being merely a supporting character. If there's any weak point, it's probably Paulie Litt as Spritle. Occasionally he can have the tendency to be annoying, especially with his pet chimpanzee. It never destroys the film but it seems like the only reason for his inclusion is for the children in the audience rather than because he really needs to be there. If he had been axed from the movie, it would have made little difference to the plot. He's basically just there.

Overall, Speed Racer is a vastly under-rated film that really should have fared better at the box office. The cinematography is beautiful and the direction by the Wachowskis slick. It never grows dull; the movie is perfectly paced and despite its PG rating feels more grown-up than just another family movie. Speed Racer is like a compelling mix of cartoons and videogames, with a distinct Wacky Races feel to the way the cars operate on the race tracks. The only negative I can find is Paulie Litt as Spritle, who can have a tendency to be irritating and just feels like he's there rather than offering any meaningful contribution to the plot. The rest of the acting is excellent however, with standouts being Emile Hirsch as Speed and Scott Porter as Racer X/Rex Racer. Speed Racer is an under-appreciated gem that anybody from eight to one hundred and eight can enjoy. Go reader Go...and watch the one film that doesn't get the appreciation it deserves. You won't regret it.




Paradise Towers

Paradise Towers is one of those stories that is often ridiculed by the Whovian fanbase - and it's not hard to see why. But I'll come to that later. The story was the result of a falling out between producer John Nathan Turner and script editor Eric Saward; John Nathan Turner was determined to find a writer who had never worked on the show before. He came across writer Stephen Wyatt at the BBC's script unit and asked him to submit a story for the show. That story was, of course, Paradise Towers.

Paradise Towers starts with the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Mel (Bonnie Langford) planning to visit a luxurious residential complex called Paradise Towers. Mel watches a promotional video for the towers that shows it as a beautiful complex, complete with a massive swimming pool. However when they arrive, they find it in a state of disrepair. The residents have become primitive tribes with no idea what a vending machine is and the place is run by the Caretakers; a group of people who keep surveillance on the towers and worship 'the Great Architect'. Their boss, the Chief Caretaker (Richard Briers) is secretly feeding the population of the Towers to the robotic Cleaners and the 'Great Architect' himself.

The premise of a luxury complex becoming run down to the point where it creates a tribal civilisation is a strong one that unfortunately doesn't follow through. The performances are too over the top to be taken seriously, especially those by the Red Kangs and Blue Kangs. The teenage actors who play the Red and Blue Kangs are annoying and come across as though they are in an amateur theatre production of Doctor Who rather than young professional actors. Many complain about Richard Briers but I actually didn't mind him so much; he at least seems like he belongs in a Doctor Who story. Perhaps he went too far when the 'Great Architect' (otherwise known as 'Kroagnon') possessed the Chief Caretaker's body but in my view if anybody can be accused as too camp the real culprits are Tabby (Elizabeth Spriggs) and Tilda (Brenda Bruce). I found myself rolling my eyes at every one of their scenes; they are too over the top as the stereotypical 'sweet old ladies'. Even when they reveal their real nasty intentions they still continue to ham it up.

The mention of these two ladies brings me onto my next point: Mel is too gullible. She meets Tabby and Tilda once in the story and already she trusts them when they offer to give her tea and cake. Had she never learnt when she was little not to talk to strangers? Even so, you would have thought travelling with the Doctor would have opened her eyes a bit not to be tricked so easily by offerings of food and drink. If I were in an unfamiliar environment and two old ladies randomly invited me round for a cup of tea and cake, flowering me with praise despite it being the first meeting I would be more than a little suspicious of what they were up to. Yet Mel acts as if it's normal.

But it's not only Mel who acts like an idiot in this story: the caretakers are pretty stupid too. The seventh Doctor may be the king of manipulation but it doesn't take him much to manipulate them to let him go when they're holding him prisoner. He literally takes their rule book (basically a book of the law of Paradise Towers) and fabricates rules up that say 'After you have been guarding the condemned prisoner for 30 minutes, you must stand up...move five paces away from the prisoner...close their eyes...put their hands above their head...for a minute and a half'. They don't even bother to snatch the rule book from the Doctor and check it themselves.

This all leads to the story feeling devoid of danger and peril. The caretakers pose no threat to the Doctor precisely because they are bone-dead stupid. Even the cast of The Only Way Is Essex would do a better job of guarding a prisoner for execution than these lot. Even the crab toy that attacks Mel in the swimming pool doesn't pose much of a threat. It just grabs her whilst she frails around in the water screaming. In the time it takes for Pex (Howard Cooke) to chuck her his weapon, it could have ripped her legs off or done something equally as horrifying. But no: instead it just holds her legs.

As for Pex, this character can be summed up in two words: useless and annoying. Pretty much every time he is onscreen they remind you that he's a coward yet when it gets to the pool gathering near the beginning of episode four all of a sudden we are supposed to sympathise with him when the Kangs call him a 'cowardly custard'. Well, sorry Paradise Towers: I may love Doctor Who but you have to earn the right for me to care about a character being called a 'coward'. He quite simply deserves it. Pex makes Mel look brave in comparison and she was never one of the Doctor's bravest companions (even if I personally don't mind her). There's an odd moment in the serial where Mel congratulates him for saving her but he doesn't even do anything. One of the Cleaners takes the old ladies instead. Why not give credit to the Cleaners instead?

The Cleaners are the literal heroes of this otherwise bad story, in the sense that they are the only good thing about it. I like the Cleaners a lot; their design is the kind of satiric look that the story of Paradise Towers should have had. The idea of evil cleaning robots in a tower block that's supposed to be a paradise is nicely ironic by Stephen Wyatt and their scenes are generally better directed by Nicholas Mallett (especially the scene where one of the Cleaner's hands comes through a rubbish chute and pulls one of the old ladies down). The rest of the direction falls flat, as if Nicholas Mallett didn't know what to do with the story either. The Cleaners are pretty much the only enemies here that feel like they are a danger to the characters of the story. Funnily enough, for robots that don't communicate and are basically just serviceable machines they are probably the most intelligent characters in the story bar the Doctor.

Overall, Paradise Towers is probably Doctor Who's biggest missed opportunity. It has a strong premise that is woefully executed with over the top acting and dumb characters who make Kevin from the 2016 Ghostbusters movie look like a genius in comparison. The story as a result of the Caretakers' dim behaviour has a lack of danger and peril; only the Cleaners seem remotely menacing in this story. Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford clearly try their hardest to sell this story and neither are to blame for Paradise Towers' failings; both give good performances as the Doctor and Mel but it's not enough to save the story when you have strange scenes that hail cowardly Pex a 'hero' and make Mel come across as way too gullible than she has any right to be. Paradise Towers is definitely a Doctor Who story you should skip, unless you want to deafen yourself with the Kangs' awful shouting.




Another excuse for me to revisit 2007 .

The performances are too over the top to be taken seriously, especially those by the Red Kangs and Blue Kangs. The teenage actors who play the Red and Blue Kangs are annoying and come across as though they are in an amateur theatre production of Doctor Who rather than young professional actors.

Looking back at my review of Paradise Towers I found that I was impressed by Annabel Yuresha:

The performances in Paradise Towers vary from well-acted to unwatchable. It will be clear to anyone watching the story that Julie Brennon’s “Not since time start” makes Fire Escape sound like she’s had elocution lessons somewhere in the Towers. Brennon’s performance is naive in a ‘children’s presenter’ sort of way, which unfortunately seems a little patronising to the audience. Catherine Cusack is better, but the saving grace for the Kangs is Annabel Yuresha as Bin Liner, because she gets some moodiness and some rawness into the characters and their behaviour. In fact Yuresha is so good that she could easily have been a companion for the Doctor, though it might have been a retread of Leela. And of course, the Doctor having to shout “BIN LINER!!!!” as Fenric deduced the winning move might have sounded a little strange…

Many complain about Richard Briers but I actually didn't mind him so much; he at least seems like he belongs in a Doctor Who story. Perhaps he went too far when the 'Great Architect' (otherwise known as 'Kroagnon') possessed the Chief Caretaker's body

I was surprised at how positive I was about Briers:

Richard Briers gives a very subtle and entertaining performance as the “Wizard of Oz Nazi”(3), the Chief Caretaker; looking alarmingly like Hitler in that moustache. He’s very clenched and the decision to use that anally retentive, low drawl for his delivery is sheer brilliance. He’s really funny in a number of scenes, such as the Chief talking to his “pet”; blackmailing Maddy; and his rigid, jerky movements as the possessed Chief is really well done, as he seems to summon up Kroagnon’s voice from very low down in the Chief’s husk. When he swings his near lifeless arm onto Howard Cooke as Kroagnon asks Pex if he’s trying to fool him, Briers is priceless. It’s a great comedy performance for what can only be considered a comedy story.

The mention of these two ladies brings me onto my next point: Mel is too gullible. She meets Tabby and Tilda once in the story and already she trusts them when they offer to give her tea and cake. Had she never learnt when she was little not to talk to strangers? Even so, you would have thought travelling with the Doctor would have opened her eyes a bit not to be tricked so easily by offerings of food and drink. If I were in an unfamiliar environment and two old ladies randomly invited me round for a cup of tea and cake, flowering me with praise despite it being the first meeting I would be more than a little suspicious of what they were up to. Yet Mel acts as if it's normal.

No hiding place for Langford:

This is a terrible story for Mel, there’s no getting away from it. The Doctor’s face as Mel is looking at the pool on the TARDIS scanner says it all really! From the beginning Mel is interested only in getting to that pool, and actually seems to forget all concern for the Doctor in the process. But the writer also gives her some bizarre choices, such as going to “rest [her] weary bones” in the Rezzies’s flat, which is bizarre isn’t it? Mel’s savvy enough to know that there’s something intimidating about Tabby and Tilda, so why do it!? When Mel finally reaches the pool, it’s the only thing on her mind, and the idea that after all the murder and mayhem, she’s convinced it will be safe is laughable. Paul Scoones mentions Langford’s performance:

“Langford is undoubtedly an accomplished and experienced entertainer, but she is clearly out of her depth in a serious dramatic role, dreadfully overemphasising her lines and delivering them in [an] unchanging high-pitched breathless croak” (2)

It’s true that Langford is very stage-orientated, and gives broader performances than are necessary on television, and her raucous voice, particularly on lines like “WELL DONE PEX!” might just tempt the viewer to switch off. However, in Bonnie Langford’s defence, with such a vapid character to play, she had little opportunity to do anything will Mel at all, but she and Sylvester McCoy do have a rapport of sorts.

The idea of evil cleaning robots in a tower block that's supposed to be a paradise is nicely ironic by Stephen Wyatt
Apparently the idea comes from High Rise by J. G. Ballard, which has just been made into a film.

The rest of the direction falls flat, as if Nicholas Mallett didn't know what to do with the story either.
Overall, Paradise Towers is probably Doctor Who's biggest missed opportunity. It has a strong premise that is woefully executed

I think we're pretty much of one accord on this one:

In Script Doctor, Andrew Cartmel observes:

“We actually received a memo from Jonathan Powell [Head of Drama] congratulating us on Paradise Towers. This had never been known to happen before. ‘First rate’ said Powell” (p54)

Jonathan Powell had already established with Cartmel that he considered Doctor Who a children’s programme, so it’s easy to see why he thought this story such a success. However, even within those parameters, Paradise Towers isn’t even a very good children’s programme, mainly because it’s so carelessly achieved on many fronts, most notably the direction and the ‘for children’ acting of some of the cast. It’s hard to deduce how a programme this shallow in presentation, if not in intent, could have provoked such positive feedback. Paradise Towers is at heart a very good story with much potential, but the programme isn’t very well put together and begins to look like a comedy sketch show with famous names making guest appearances. Even the performances, and the good ones, seem to take place in what looks like a first rehearsal, and this story has a great claim to being the most badly realised Doctor Who story produced to date.



Looking back at my review of Paradise Towers I found that I was impressed by Annabel Yuresha:
I didn't like her at all. Too over the top and annoying.


I was surprised at how positive I was about Briers:
The Kangs are much more problematic than Richard Briers. I can see why he decided not take it seriously given how stupid the story is.


No hiding place for Langford:
To be fair, I think a lot of it is the script's fault rather than Bonnie Langford's. It's the script that makes Mel so gullible.


[QUPTE]Apparently the idea comes from High Rise by J. G. Ballard, which has just been made into a film.[/quote]
I'm not surprised it's been made into a film. The idea of evil cleaning robots is a good one, it's just a shame it wasn't used in a better Doctor Who serial.

I think we're pretty much of one accord on this one:
I have a feeling the new series would have done it much better. I could imagine it taken seriously as a Steven Mofatt RTD-era story.



Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is an interesting movie for me. I remember feeling disappointed when I first saw it at the cinema upon its release but on rewatch, I unexpectedly found myself enjoying it a lot more. I don't know if it's because the first Madagascar set the bar so high that I expected something equally amazing when I first saw it but something seems to have changed my opinion on the film in retrospect in comparison to my views on it before.

The film takes place shortly after the events of the first Madagascar, where the animals found themselves stuck in Madagascar. The penguins Skipper (Tom McGrath), Private (Christopher Knights), Kowalski (Chris Miller) and Rico (John DiMaggio) have repaired a broken down plane and the zoo animals prepare to return to New York with King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen), Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer), and Mort (Andy Richter). However the plane crash lands in Africa, where Alex (Ben Stiller) is reunited with his parents Zuba (Bernie Mac) and Florrie (Sherri Shepard), Marty (Chris Rock) finds other zebras who are just like him, Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) falls for the macho male hippo Moto Moto (Will.I.Am) and Melman (David Schwimmer) discovers she is a witch doctor. Soon they discover Africa isn't as good as they first thought. Alex finds lions in Africa fight in gladiatorial arenas for the role of alpha lion rather than dance as he had learned to at the zoo, Marty grows bored with everybody sharing the same opinions as him, Gloria discovers Moto Moto only loves her for her looks and Melman falls into a state of depression after he learns that not only might he die of the same symptoms of the previous witch doctor but that the secret love of his life Gloria is dating another animal.

What's great about this story is that compared to the first Madagascar it feels like a proper ensemble cast. Whilst the first one focused heavily on Alex the lion and his predatory instincts, in this film it feels like every character has something to do. This film could easily have been a whole animated series. There are so many sub plots that it feels somewhat like an episode of The Simpsons. By this point the animals feel like their own little family and it is nice to see the series move on from 'The Alex the Lion Show'. In fact, if anybody could be considered the lead in this film it's probably Melman. Melman is focused on quite a lot with her feelings for Gloria and state of depression that nearly causes her to take on the advice of King Julian and give her life up for the fake water Gods.

This film is actually quite dark for a family movie. Whilst the themes of depression will go over kids' heads, to an adult viewer it is obvious that Melman is suffering from it and it deals with the issue in a very delicate way. We've come to know Melman so much by now that when she basically attempts to commit suicide (because let's face it: that's what the subtext of her trip to the volcano really is) we worry for her. We don't want to see her go through with it. We want to see her come out of her mental state and appreciate life for what it is. Some of the best family movies tackle serious subject matters like this; if Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa can be applauded for anything it's the way that it raises the issue of clinical depression and shows audiences that there is a way out of it. Just because someone is depressed doesn't mean they will be forever.

Where the film falls flat is in its similarities to the far superior Lion King. These are mainly present in the scenes with Alex and his parents. Just like Simba in the classic Disney animation Alex is the next in line to the lion throne. Just like The Lion King, there's a villainous lion trying to claim the power to rule the animal kingdom (Alec Baldwin's Makunga). Just like The Lion King, the film is set in Africa. It is perhaps surprising it has taken this long for DreamWorks to copy the plot of The Lion King and it means that the sequel to Madagascar can feel lazy and uninspired compared to the first one. The first Madagascar's plot felt like much more of an original idea; it didn't really borrow from anything that came before it. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, on the other hand, draws too much inspiration from a better movie, causing it to come across as a pale imitation of it.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa does have a tendency to repeat gags from the first film too. For example, whilst it's nice to see the return of the old bag lady from the first Madagascar her appearance is only to repeat the same joke that was already done in the previous entry: an old lady attacks a lion with her handbag. It was funny the first time and is still funny the second time round but it's not really unexpected anymore and just feels like it's there because the writers couldn't think of anything new to say. And then there's the return of King Julien and Mort's fractious relationship. We get it. Mort's annoying. Do we really need to see him back? There's literally nothing about Mort's character that makes you want to see him again. I just find myself groaning whenever he appears onscreen.

If anything's the strong point about Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, it's the cast. They are all clearly trying their hardest to carry the material, especially Ben Stiller as Alex. Ben Stiller was good in the first Madagascar movie and he continues to deliver here. Chris Rock is also as lively as Marty as in the previous entry, offering an engaging performance that never becomes boring. Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer have so much chemistry together that it's not hard to believe Melman fancies Gloria. The stand-outs for both of the Madagascar movies for me though are the Penguins. The Penguins are hilarious and expertly voiced by Tom McGrath and co. I'm not surprised their Madagascar appearances spawned a short film, a television series and a spinoff movie; they never cease to be funny and I always find myself more entertained by them than any of the other characters in the films.

As for the animation, it's nothing particularly special but it's not terrible either. The animation of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is serviceable for a modern animated film but it doesn't have the animation quality of Toy Story 3 or The Incredibles. On Bluray it's a lot better than some releases but it isn't a movie I would use to showcase Bluray capability. It definitely feels like a step-up from Madagascar's animation though, which was also pretty average overall compared to Disney/Pixar's animation.

Overall, Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa may not be the best animated movie but it's not terrible either. Whilst the plot somewhat rips off The Lion King, it's nice to see the Madagascar series treated as an ensemble piece as opposed to the first film's decision to focus mainly on Alex the lion. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is surprisingly dark for a family movie: there are strong themes of clinical depression and suicide with the character of Melman that tackle the serious subject matter in a mature and respectable way. The movie repeats a lot of the same gags from the first Madagascar and doesn't feel like the most original animated movie but the cast do a great job at delivering the material they are provided with and the animation is passable (if not particularly spectacular). Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa may be a mediocre film but it is still an essential watch if you enjoyed the first Madagascar movie.




The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky

There has been quite a bit of controversy lately over the inclusion of Sontarans in the Big Finish release Classic Doctors, New Monsters. Do the new series Sontarans count as new monsters? Their origins may date back to the 1973 serial The Time Warrior but are the new series Sontarans different enough to be considered new monsters? Perhaps...

The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky in some ways feels like more of a modern story than it did at the time. The story features SatNavs used as weapons and SatNavs are arguably more commonplace today than in 2008, given that they are now installed in pretty much any modern car. After a call from Martha (Freema Ageyman) asking for him to return to Earth, the Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) arrive in 21st Century London to find that there have been a number of mysterious deaths that have all taken place at exactly the same time. The only connection is that they all had ATMOS installed into their cars. They team up with Martha's new workplace - UNIT - to find out why and discover the Sontarans are plotting to invade the Earth.

These are clearly a new clone batch of Sontarans, given that whilst they bear a close resemblance to their classic series counterparts their look is somewhat cleaner and a deeper shade of brown. Their ears are also more pointed, bearing more of an 'elf' appearance as opposed to the flat ears of the classic series:





Between the two, my preference lies with the new series look by prosthetics designer Neill Gorton. Their classic series appearance is certainly iconic but they perhaps bear too close to the infamous potato comparison. The new series Sontarans meanwhile appear more menacing; I find their appearance as a deadly warrior race more convincing compared to the classic series Sontarans. That's not to say I don't like the classic series Sontarans, just that the new series Sontarans have a stronger demeanour.

The other major difference with the new series Sontarans is their use of a catchphrase. Just like the Cybermen in Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel the Sontarans this time round have been given a quotable phrase that they repeat over the course of the story. For the Cybermen, this was 'Delete'. The Sontarans have 'Sontar Ha!' Unlike some, I like the new series tendency to give characters catchphrases; it's a nice and quick way to establish the characters' personalities without the need of expositional dialogue. The Cybermen upgrade others to be like them, so their catchphrase is 'Delete' because they are 'deleting' the humanity of those who become Cybermen. Sontarans believe in honour and glory, so their catchphrase is a war chant. There are plenty of similarities to be found between the Rise Cybermen and new series Sontarans, one important one being that the former are a new group of Cybermen from Pete's World created by a company known as Cybus Industries and the latter (as The Sontaran Ordeal explores) a Time War-era new clone batch of Sontarans. The new series Sontarans are therefore in my view different enough from their classic series iteration to be considered new monsters.

As for the story itself, it's definitely one of my favourites from David Tennant's time as the Doctor. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is an action-packed story that's a lot of fun to watch. The way it takes a modern device that can infamously become unreliable (SatNav systems) and turns it into a threat is genius. SatNavs can have the potential to be scary machines, especially when they try to send you off cliffs and it is therefore a marvellous idea by writer Helen Raynor (who got a lot of unfair comments directed towards her regarding her previous story for Doctor Who Daleks In Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks) to include them in her story.

It definitely feels like a Sontaran story too. This is a strong update for the clone race and it is a shame that they haven't had a new series invasion story since. The Sontarans feel like a formidable threat for the Doctor and Donna, especially the way they manage to clone Martha Jones. I would have liked to have seen a follow-up story where they clone the Doctor; imagine an evil Doctor working for the Sontarans - wouldn't that be scary? The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky stays true to how their previous classic series counterparts were characterised whilst also offering a new take on the race. Hopefully one day there will be a story exploring where Strax's loyalties lie: the Sontarans or the human race? I think that would be the best way to bring the Sontarans back now when Strax has been used for comic relief.

In the above paragraph, I mentioned clone Martha Jones. Clone Martha Jones is one of my favourite things about this story. Seeing a Doctor Who companion suddenly become evil is a fun thing for the show to explore; the series has done it before with Zygon Harry in Terror of the Zygons but the clone of Martha Jones in particular feels masterfully executed and a natural advancement for the plot. Freema Ageyman plays original Martha and evil Martha in such a believable way and I wouldn't be surprised if Jenna Coleman took inspiration for it for her dual role as Clara Oswald and Bonnie in last years' The Zygon Invasion/Inversion. Original Martha doesn't really get a lot to do but evil Martha is so entertaining to watch that you don't really notice Original Martha not featuring much in the plot.

And, of course, you've got the excellent Bernard Cribbins as Wilf. To me, Bernard Cribbins is the Doctor Who companion that never was. He sort-of had a companion role in The End of Time but it's hard to class him as a companion when it was only one story (I wish it had left it open so Wilf could have previously had more adventures in the TARDIS with the 10th Doctor). Wilf is such a loveable character, played with a stunning amount of charm by Bernard Cribbins and you find yourself totally invested and caring for the character when he becomes trapped in the car with the ATMOS smoke surrounding him. It's a relief when Sylvia (Jacqueline King) breaks him free from the car because you've grown to care for the character so much.

Overall, The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is an exciting update for the Sontarans in the new series. Their use of a catchphrase and new look makes them feel significantly different from the classic series Sontarans and the story poses them as a credible threat for the tenth Doctor and Donna. Evil clone Martha Jones is fantastic and well-played by Freema Ageyman (sure to have been a blueprint for Jenna Coleman when she played her dual role of Bonnie/Clara). Then there's Bernard Cribbins as Wilf, who's just loveable as Donna's charming granddad Wilf and really should have been a companion for the Doctor. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is one of David Tennant's best stories which David Tennant as usual gives an outstanding performance in again, proving why he is the best Doctor of them all. Catherine Tate continues to be strong as Donna Noble and I hope she continues to play the role for Big Finish. This is a Doctor Who two parter well-worth your time, whether you have seen the classic series Sontarans or not. After all, they are new series monsters first and foremost...




Between the two, my preference lies with the new series look by prosthetics designer Neill Gorton. Their classic series appearance is certainly iconic but they perhaps bear too close to the infamous potato comparison. The new series Sontarans meanwhile appear more menacing; I find their appearance as a deadly warrior race more convincing compared to the classic series Sontarans. That's not to say I don't like the classic series Sontarans, just that the new series Sontarans have a stronger demeanour.
What I particularly remember about this story is how good the reveal was for Staal's face. As you say the prosthetics for these Sontarans were brilliant, mainly because the skin looked organic and alive. It also recreated the surprise value of Robert Holmes's original idea for an alien who removes his helmet and his head's the same shape and size . Chris Ryan was fantastic in this story; even better than he was a Kiv in Mindwarp.

My feeling about the new Sontarans is that they went too small. I liked them as they were in the early Seventies because they were fairly short but looked bulky and physically strong. Arthur Conan Doyle uses a good phrase for his Professor Challenger: "a stunted Hercules" and I think that applies perfectly for them. I didn't mind the blue, more intricately designed armour as it was a change.