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The film begins with the original Delia Derbyshire opening titles and it's amazing how well they hold up today, even on a big screen (this was shown in cinemas as well as on TV).
Did you see it at the cinema?



Here's my list of favourite Doctors by the way:

Sylvester McCoy
Tom Baker
Paul McGann
Jon Pertwee
Colin Baker
William Hartnell
Peter Davison
Patrick Troughton
Matt Smith
David Tennant
John Hurt
Christopher Eccleston
Peter Capaldi



I really liked him, mainly because his Master was so smug – I thought, yeah that's him. I haven't read or seen much in the way of interviews on the subject but if that's how Simm wanted to play him it's a great shame that he wasn't given the opportunity.
Agreed.

I've always thought the Master's better when he's an outside influence operating behind the scenes; I suppose you could say Derek Jacobi and Michelle Gomez's Masters were/are like that. Roger Degaldo and Anthony Ainley's certainly were.



Agreed.

I've always thought the Master's better when he's an outside influence operating behind the scenes; I suppose you could say Derek Jacobi and Michelle Gomez's Masters were/are like that. Roger Degaldo and Anthony Ainley's certainly were.
Yeah, like in the Pertwee stories when he would often just appear towards the end as the person behind it all. Frontier in Space goes one better of course.



Ratatouille

Ratatouille is possibly the most under-rated Pixar film of all time, however it has seen something of a resurgence in recent years with an Albert Hall concert and a 4D ride at Disneyland Paris (which I cannot wait to go on when I return to Disneyland Paris 10 years after my last visit next year). It still doesn't get the appreciation it deserves though.

The film tells the story of a rat called Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who dreams of being a chef. Problem is, rats are not allowed in the kitchen and only humans are chefs. Guided by the ghost of celebrity chef Gusteau (Brad Garrett), Remy pursues his dream with a little help from Linguini's (Lou Romano) hair. It's a very charming tale of 'don't judge a book by its cover' in that just because Remy is a rat and therefore considered vermin doesn't mean he isn't capable of being a chef and as with other Pixar films, it doesn't feel like the message is rammed down our throats as the audience to prove that it 'teaches' kids something (there's nothing more irritating for that - who says animated films have to be purely for kids, after all?).

It is also refreshing to see a film with Paris as a setting instead of the usual UK or U.S. location. As much as I enjoy seeing my country's capital London on the big screen, it is often a location that's over-used in cinema and as for American cities, I can name quite a number of films off the top of my head set somewhere across the pond, whereas France in general is not used very much as a setting (apart from in romantic comedies for an obvious reason). Paris is also a clever thematic choice considering the French are world famous for their quality food, although somehow I doubt they have a rat running their kitchen.

As for the voice acting, I honestly think it is among the finest I have seen in any animated film. Each voice perfectly suits the character, especially Patton Oswalt as Remy (I even know someone who's favourite character in any Disney film is Remy out of all the top characters she could have chosen). This is possibly Pixar's finest casting since the Toy Story movies, although Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody and Buzz still takes a lot of beating.

Overall, Ratatouille is an underrated Pixar gem and one that deserves more recognition. It's a shame that this film was released after the re-emergence of 3D as it would have been perfect for the 3D treatment (although a Ratatouille 3D Bluray is available to buy from Amazon and other outlets).




"""" Hulk Smashhhh."""
I love Ratatouille. Its one of the best animated movies out there.
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Deep Breath

The third Doctor Who TV movie so far, Deep Breath saw Peter Capaldi's debut as the Doctor in the show and like Day of the Doctor was released in cinemas as well as broadcast on TV. Unlike Day of the Doctor, it also served as the first episode of series 8; a strong series for the show which saw a number of the new series' best episodes.

Deep Breath is the story of Clara struggling to come to terms with this new Doctor as he recovers from post-regeneration trauma. Meanwhile, a group of Clockwork Droids from the SS Madam De Pompadour's sister ship the SS Marie Antoinette are trying to find their way to the 'promised land' and using a restaurant as their base to harvest people so they can use them as spare parts to replace any they are using that are currently rotting. This is arguably one of the darkest episodes of Doctor Who as it sees a ship made out of human skin and the film's main clockwork enemy Half-Face Man impaled on a spire. It is nice to see the show explore such dark themes with the Clockwork Droids even if their return was surprising given their last appearance before Deep Breath was eight years ago in The Girl In The Fireplace. This reviewer hopes to see them return again as they are among the most intriguing of the new series' creations but whether they will or won't is anybody's guess.

The writing is up to Steven Moffat's brilliant standards, however it never reaches the highs of Day of the Doctor. It is also a little too slowly paced and doesn't quite have the same cinematic feel of the TV Movie and Day of the Doctor. Director Ben Wheatley does a great job however (as he does in the next episode Into The Dalek) and we can only hope he returns to direct another episode of the show at some point. Maybe Steven Moffat's final episode?

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are brilliant as the Doctor and Clara; Jenna Coleman in particular giving a very believable and engaging performance as someone who no longer knows who her friend is (although it can be argued that her response to regeneration is out of character for Clara because she has seen every regeneration of the Doctor up to 11 and therefore should expect that he changes his face once in a while anyway). The Paternoster Gang are also on top form; I will admit that I wasn't sure on them in their first appearance in A Good Man Goes To War but they have grown on me, especially Dan Starkey, who is absolutely hilarious as Strax. It's a shame that they haven't returned since during Peter Capaldi's era as I think they work well as supporting characters.

Oh, and I can't write a review about any episode of series 8 without mentioning the music. Murray Gold's music here is on par with what he produced for the Specials: absolutely incredible. Every piece is stunning and whilst there's no track to beat Vale Decem, it is easily Murray Gold's best music produced for Steven Moffat's era.

Overall, Deep Breath is a brilliant introductory TV movie for Peter Capaldi's Doctor unfortunately let down by a slow pace and not enough of a cinematic feel for something that was shown in cinemas.




Director Ben Wheatley does a great job however (as he does in the next episode Into The Dalek)
Into the Dalek is my favourite Capaldi episode and it's interesting that it was the same director as Deep Breath. Of the little of Capaldi I've seen, his acting in Into the Dalek was way past anything else he's done in the series.



Into the Dalek is my favourite Capaldi episode and it's interesting that it was the same director as Deep Breath. Of the little of Capaldi I've seen, his acting in Into the Dalek was way past anything else he's done in the series.
I love the line 'She's my carer. She cares so I don't have to'. Still maintain that's the best line in any Doctor Who episode ever.



The Blair Witch Project

There's no doubting that The Blair Witch Project was a revolutionary film in horror techniques. It is the film that started the 'found-footage' sub-genre used so prominently today and was successful enough to green-light a sequel. But in terms of horror potential, it doesn't offer the best scares people may expect from a horror movie.

The film follows a group of teenagers shooting a documentary about the mythological Blair Witch in the woods. Naturally given its setting, they get lost and someone or something is following them, leaving strange piles of rocks and killing them off one by one until there's only two left. The plot is a solid one and entertaining enough however there aren't many scares to be found; the film relies mainly on the emotions of the characters to sell the fear of being lost than to provide anything likely to send shivers down your spine. It is the found footage aspect to events that provides the most interest.

Once you get to the climax however the film picks up pace. I won't spoil it but it is great how in-keeping with the rest of the film they don't reveal anything leaving it up to individual interpretation what really happened. Was it the Blair Witch or not? Hopefully a question that will never be answered in any future Blair Witch films.

One thing that may be a turn off for some people is the main character Heather Donahue (played by Heather Donahue). She is frequently annoying with her insistence to keep filming the documentary despite the events of the film; it is helpful to remember though that this is likely the intention of the filmmakers. Still, it may put off or divide some viewers. The rest of the cast and characters are likeable enough; the great thing about every character is they all feel real rather than made up in the head of the writer. You could imagine meeting any of these kind of people in real life and this helps the found footage style. This is partly down to the writers and partly to the actors; the writing is extremely naturalistic making it feel like we are watching real people filming a real documentary and the actors all sell this through their chemistry together on-screen.

This is a film definitely worth a watch. Whilst it's likely not going to scare you and it's arguably not the best movie in the world, it's enjoyable enough and the fact that it's such a revolutionary film in that it introduced a whole new sub-genre to horror makes it a must-see for any viewer.




I love the line 'She's my carer. She cares so I don't have to'. Still maintain that's the best line in any Doctor Who episode ever.
My favourite line was "It's a rollercoaster with you isn't it?" The problem is that every subsequent use of the word "rollercoaster" becomes diminishing returns.

The line that got on my nerves a bit was "This is gun girl: she has a gun and she's a girl" because it sounded like a line for Smith or Tennant. My favourite bit was where he rescues Journey and they have that fractious exchange inside the TARDIS. It's one of the best new series scenes I think.



My favourite line was "It's a rollercoaster with you isn't it?" The problem is that every subsequent use of the word "rollercoaster" becomes diminishing returns.

The line that got on my nerves a bit was "This is gun girl: she has a gun and she's a girl" because it sounded like a line for Smith or Tennant. My favourite bit was where he rescues Journey and they have that fractious exchange inside the TARDIS. It's one of the best new series scenes I think.
I can imagine Matt Smith saying it more than David Tennant between the two but yeah, it didn't feel like a Capaldi line. Suppose that's to be expected when Phil Ford won't have seen Peter Capaldi in action when he wrote the script.



I can imagine Matt Smith saying it more than David Tennant between the two but yeah, it didn't feel like a Capaldi line. Suppose that's to be expected when Phil Ford won't have seen Peter Capaldi in action when he wrote the script.
Yes, probably. I think it sounds more like Smith, and I suppose the reason for that is that it has a customary arrogance that smacks more of Steven Moffat's writing overall. The thing I loved about Matt Smith was that he always managed to downplay that side of the writing (at least in the stories I've seen).



Dalek

It's weird to think 11 years later that the Daleks nearly didn't return. That instead of 'Dalek', this episode could have been called 'Absence of the Dalek'. Thankfully, they did in a classic episode of the show many rightfully think of first when they think of Christopher Eccleston's series as the Doctor.

In Dalek, the Doctor and Rose arrive in the year 2012 at a museum of alien artefacts owned by Henry VanStatten (Corey Johnson). The Doctor soon discovers that Henry is keeping a Dalek he calls 'Metaltron' prisoner, sending technician Simmons (Nigel Whitmey) to torture it in an attempt to get it to speak. What's brilliant about this episode is we essentially get to see the Doctor become a Dalek himself; he even uses their catchphrase 'exterminate' when pulling the lever to electrocute the Dalek. It's great to see the Doctor just lose it and fires the imagination as to what the character must have seen during the Time War to make him like this. Of course, the Doctor and the Daleks have a lot of history too which obviously counts for a lot of the hatred but let's not forget this is a character that couldn't destroy the Daleks when he had the chance in Genesis of the Daleks. This Doctor would have done it without the flicker of an eyelid.

You also get to see it from Rose's side: someone who hasn't seen the Daleks in action and therefore has no existing hatred for them. Rose feels sorry for it and so touches the Dalek out of compassion, however her exposure to time travel regenerates it meaning she accidentally unleashes it on a killing spree. It's hard to not see Rose's point of view, even knowing that the Dalek's actions were inevitable and it really adds to the story to see a different point of view to the presence of a Dalek and establishes that the show's not just about the Doctor and his companion VS the latest monster/villain but can also be about one, the other or both trying to help the monster in the episode (something important to be established in the new series' first series).

Dalek also sees the introduction of Bruno Langley as Adam Mitchell; unlike many, I actually enjoyed him in the role. Before The Long Game showed his true colours, he seemed a likeable character played superbly by Bruno Langley and one whom I hoped would become a companion at the end. Of course, he did and he wasn't very good at the companion lark. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper are both on top form here, especially Christopher Eccleston showing the Doctor's built-up Time War rage.

The writing is also impeccable; Robert Shearman is an excellent writer and it's crazy that he has never returned to the show, especially someone who can write lines like 'I can feel so many ideas. So much darkness. Rose, give me orders. Order me to die.'. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say Robert Shearman would make a great showrunner. Basically, if future showrunner Chris Chibnall gets Robert Shearman to write a story for his era then I for one certainly won't be shouting for him to go.

Overall, Dalek is simply a masterpiece expertly written by Robert Shearman and featuring stunning performances from Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper and Bruno Langley.




It's weird to think 11 years later that the Daleks nearly didn't return.
It sounds like if they couldn't use the Daleks the plan was to go for a villain a bit like the Child in Shearman's audio drama The Holy Terror.

From what I can gather it's like Shearman was royally messed about during this process. I don't know how much of the script is his – Russell T Davies seems to have had a large input on every script; and it's sad that such a fantastic writer hasn't been able to write a fully original episode of his own for the series. Anybody who wants to find out what Shearman's Doctor Who work can be should seek out The Chimes of Midnight and Scherzo.

What's brilliant about this episode is we essentially get to see the Doctor become a Dalek himself; he even uses their catchphrase 'exterminate' when pulling the lever to electrocute the Dalek. It's great to see the Doctor just lose it and fires the imagination as to what the character must have seen during the Time War to make him like this. Of course, the Doctor and the Daleks have a lot of history too which obviously counts for a lot of the hatred but let's not forget this is a character that couldn't destroy the Daleks when he had the chance in Genesis of the Daleks. This Doctor would have done it without the flicker of an eyelid.
Yeah, exactly. It was frightening to see but there'd been a hint of his new ruthlessness with what happened to Cassandra in The End of the World. The Daleks appear to be the only lifeform that really and truly bring out the Doctor's dark side, and we even had the Fifth Doctor choosing to kill Davros rather than let things continue (he doesn't, naturally).

You also get to see it from Rose's side: someone who hasn't seen the Daleks in action and therefore has no existing hatred for them. Rose feels sorry for it and so touches the Dalek out of compassion, however her exposure to time travel regenerates it meaning she accidentally unleashes it on a killing spree. It's hard to not see Rose's point of view, even knowing that the Dalek's actions were inevitable and it really adds to the story to see a different point of view to the presence of a Dalek and establishes that the show's not just about the Doctor and his companion VS the latest monster/villain but can also be about one, the other or both trying to help the monster in the episode (something important to be established in the new series' first series).
Yes, the Doctor should be challenged. They've tried the same thing with Peter Capaldi recently.



It sounds like if they couldn't use the Daleks the plan was to go for a villain a bit like the Child in Shearman's audio drama The Holy Terror.
From what I've read, the plan was to use the Tolcafane but when the rights to the Daleks were secured, Russell T Davies kept them back for Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time lords.

From what I can gather it's like Shearman was royally messed about during this process. I don't know how much of the script is his – Russell T Davies seems to have had a large input on every script; and it's sad that such a fantastic writer hasn't been able to write a fully original episode of his own for the series. Anybody who wants to find out what Shearman's Doctor Who work can be should seek out The Chimes of Midnight and Scherzo.
Yeah, we need to see him write an episode entirely on his own at some point under either Steven Moffat or Chris Chibnall. I'd like to see him write a Weeping Angels episode actually.


Yeah, exactly. It was frightening to see but there'd been a hint of his new ruthlessness with what happened to Cassandra in The End of the World. The Daleks appear to be the only lifeform that really and truly bring out the Doctor's dark side, and we even had the Fifth Doctor choosing to kill Davros rather than let things continue (he doesn't, naturally).
And we see it again in the following episode The Long Game, where he decides to leave Adam at his mother's house and an inevitable life of government intervention and scientific experiments to find out why he has a door in his head.

Yes, the Doctor should be challenged. They've tried the same thing with Peter Capaldi recently.
Kill The Moon in particular was good at that, with the Doctor leaving Clara and Courtney on the moon to make the decision whether to kill the moon creature on their own.



Journey To The Center of the Earth

There have been many adaptations of Jules Verne books over the years but none quite as clever as Journey To The Center of the Earth (or as I prefer to call it, 'Journey To The Centre of the Earth'). This is a film that uses a unique narrative device to tell arguably Jules' most iconic story.

You see, in this version of Journey To The Center of the Earth the book actually exists as a guide book for professor Trevor (Brendan Fraser), his newphew Sean(Josh Hutchinson) and guide Hannah Ásgeirsson (played by Anita Briem). The film introduces the notion of there being a group of people who believes Jules Vernes' books to be detailing real events, offering a unique and intelligent alternative to the usual straight adaptation of a book. This is a storytelling device that has been seen countless times since the 2008 film in movies such as Inkheart however it has never been as successful as it is here. If they ever decide to reboot the Harry Potter franchise, this is how they should approach it.

The film also boasts brilliant use of 3D; this is without the doubt the best feature-length 3D I have ever seen at the cinema. It is absolutely breath-taking and unlike some examples of 3D (I'm looking at you, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) helps compliment the film's events. YoYos come out the screen, birds fly out and you get a real sense of depth when they reach the Earth's centre. The mine cart sequence in particular is stunning with that extra three-dimensional depth; it feels like you're also going down the track with them.

If there was one criticism I'd give about the film, it's that it takes a while for the plot to truly get going. There's a little too much set-up; we don't need to see shots of them on the plane or Trevor driving through Iceland. For a family adventure film, it is surprisingly slow. By the time Trevor finally declares 'Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the centre of the Earth' the pace soon picks up however and it's not long before they encounter some vicious plants. Possibly the stand-out action scene in the film is Sean's dinosaur chase; the dinosaur has to be one of the finest examples of CGI in cinema and it's nice that they mixed it with a practical drool effect (at the beginning of the scene Sean feels something wet land on his shoulder and looks up to see a dinosaur looming over him) as opposed to entirely CGI.

Brendan Fraser and Josh Hutchinson are both great as Trevor and Sean, however Anita Briem is a little wooden and her romance with Trevor isn't entirely believable. It is a shame that Brendan Fraser opted not to return for the sequel as it would have been nice to see his character again. It is understandable though as Journey 2 feels like an unnecessary follow-up and one probably more motivated by money than anything else.

Overall, Journey To The Center of the Earth is a clever family adventure film with great use of 3D let down only by too much set-up and a wooden performance from Anita Briem.