Hello all, here is a quick rating of my trips to the cinema this year;
13. Alien Covenant - utter disappointment.
12. Assassins Creed - not the blockbuster I wanted but an art house film that didn't capture the spirit of the game..
11. Doctor Strange - fun throwaway marvel film.
10. Battle for the Planet of the Apes - unexpectedly good film.
9. Lego Batman - fun!
8. IT - Proper proper good horror blockbuster which effortlessly recreates its era.
7. Spiderman Homecoming - good fun spiderman film and finally a spiderman with a Queens accent.
6. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - very good blockbuster.
5. Beauty and the Beast - very nearly top three and without doubt Luke Evans gives the most unexpected good turn in this years cinema.
Murder on the Orient Express - an outstanding adaption and more of a film than the 70s version which felt like a play.
3. The Last Jedi - good continuation from the previous film with some jaw dropping moments.
2. Thor: Ragnarok - by far the best comedy of the year with marvel fully embracing the cosmic side of things with a main character.
1. Dunkirk - My film of the year and I'd argue that its Christopher Nolans finest, unlike a lot of war films its not overlong and the interweaving three separate strands of time make for unexpected twists and riveting cineman.
Wednesday, 27 December 2017
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
The Big Finish Catch-up February - November 2017
For those of you new to this section of the blog, I started listening to the Big Finish Doctor Who releases when they started back in 1999, getting them as they were released up to mid 2002 and release No 33 Neverland. At that time I left Uni and due to being a bit busy with life and what not I only heard one or two releases over the next few years. I started getting back into them around 2008 and was 6 years behind at that point. Due to wondering off into the Lost Doctor range and a relaxed listening pace I fell further behind. In order to catch up I'm listening to two releases a month (or more when its a 60 min single disc release, plus without seeing the cover or knowing anything about the story) and my mission to catch up continues, here are some snap reviews of stories I've heard this year;
The Sontaran Ordeal, from the Classic Doctors/New Monsters box set. A good one featuring a time war era 8th Doctor and the Sontarans. Moody as hell and a bit of a cheat having a classic monster 9/10.
The Skull of Sobek, with the 8th Doctor and Lucie. A so-so unmemorable story 5/10.
Kingdom of Silver, with the 7th Doctor. A very good start but the story loses atmosphere when it changes location 7/10.
Keepsake, a follow up to the last story and lovely intimate story 9/10.
Judoon in Chains, the 6th Doctor in a fun adventure with the Judoon 8/10.
Grand Theft Cosmos, the 8th Doctor and Lucie in a series of events that get more and more out of hand 8/10.
The Doomwood Curse, the 6th Doctor and Charley in the best story I've heard in ages 10/10.
Time Reef, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in an interesting story that doesn't quite fit the episode format 7/10.
Perfect World, a follow up to the last story that left me non-plussed and stopped before it got started 5/10.
The Zygon Who Fell to Earth, good but it needs another episode and rotates between whimsy and dark to much for one episode 6/10.
Hive of Horror, the 4th Doctor in the finale to his first BBC box set. Ends on a high and emotional as its my final story with Wibbsey as I've heard the other box sets 8/10.
Brotherhood of the Daleks, the 6th Doctor and Charley in an intense plot driven story that has one to many ends 9/10.
The Death Collectors and Spiders Shadow, the 7th Doctor in two decent if unmemorable stories 5/10 and 6/10.
The Vengeance of Morbius, the finale of the 8th Doctors second season. Decent with a very good cliffhanger 6/10.
The Raincloud Man, the 6th Doctor and Charley in a follow up to an earlier story and moves between noir and the more fantastic incredibly well 10/10.
Castle of Fear, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in the most fun story I've heard this year 9.5/10.
The Magic Mousetrap, the 7th Doctor in a well plotted mystery 9.5/10.
Papercuts, a good tight story with the 6th Doctor and Charley 7/10.
The Romance of Crime, a fun runaround with the 4th Doctor, Romana and K9 9/10.
Enemy of the Daleks, a moody story featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex 7/10.
The Eternal Summer, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in a well plotted story 8/10.
Patient Zero, the 6th Doctor and Charley in a cracker of a story 10/10.
The Company of Friends, the 8th Doctor in a collection of fun stories with various companions 6/10.
Plague of the Daleks, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in a fine finale to the Stockbridge trilogy 8/10.
The Angel of Scutari, good but not as good as other war stories featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex 7/10.
The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, the original Doctor and team in a rather emotional coda and a-typical story 8/10.
The Scorchies, Jo Grant and the UNIT team in a fun story that will raise a laugh 7/10.
The Sontaran Ordeal, from the Classic Doctors/New Monsters box set. A good one featuring a time war era 8th Doctor and the Sontarans. Moody as hell and a bit of a cheat having a classic monster 9/10.
The Skull of Sobek, with the 8th Doctor and Lucie. A so-so unmemorable story 5/10.
Kingdom of Silver, with the 7th Doctor. A very good start but the story loses atmosphere when it changes location 7/10.
Keepsake, a follow up to the last story and lovely intimate story 9/10.
Judoon in Chains, the 6th Doctor in a fun adventure with the Judoon 8/10.
Grand Theft Cosmos, the 8th Doctor and Lucie in a series of events that get more and more out of hand 8/10.
The Doomwood Curse, the 6th Doctor and Charley in the best story I've heard in ages 10/10.
Time Reef, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in an interesting story that doesn't quite fit the episode format 7/10.
Perfect World, a follow up to the last story that left me non-plussed and stopped before it got started 5/10.
The Zygon Who Fell to Earth, good but it needs another episode and rotates between whimsy and dark to much for one episode 6/10.
Hive of Horror, the 4th Doctor in the finale to his first BBC box set. Ends on a high and emotional as its my final story with Wibbsey as I've heard the other box sets 8/10.
Brotherhood of the Daleks, the 6th Doctor and Charley in an intense plot driven story that has one to many ends 9/10.
The Death Collectors and Spiders Shadow, the 7th Doctor in two decent if unmemorable stories 5/10 and 6/10.
The Vengeance of Morbius, the finale of the 8th Doctors second season. Decent with a very good cliffhanger 6/10.
The Raincloud Man, the 6th Doctor and Charley in a follow up to an earlier story and moves between noir and the more fantastic incredibly well 10/10.
Castle of Fear, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in the most fun story I've heard this year 9.5/10.
The Magic Mousetrap, the 7th Doctor in a well plotted mystery 9.5/10.
Papercuts, a good tight story with the 6th Doctor and Charley 7/10.
The Romance of Crime, a fun runaround with the 4th Doctor, Romana and K9 9/10.
Enemy of the Daleks, a moody story featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex 7/10.
The Eternal Summer, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in a well plotted story 8/10.
Patient Zero, the 6th Doctor and Charley in a cracker of a story 10/10.
The Company of Friends, the 8th Doctor in a collection of fun stories with various companions 6/10.
Plague of the Daleks, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in a fine finale to the Stockbridge trilogy 8/10.
The Angel of Scutari, good but not as good as other war stories featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex 7/10.
The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, the original Doctor and team in a rather emotional coda and a-typical story 8/10.
The Scorchies, Jo Grant and the UNIT team in a fun story that will raise a laugh 7/10.
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
5 Tips for Fortnite
Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, lately I've been playing a lot of "Fortnite" the Battle Royal style computer game. Here are some top tips;
1. Stay out of the storm, players always "get lost in the storm" so always know where the safety zone is and get there with plenty of time to spare.
2. Don't jump straight out of the bus, you start the game by flying over the island in a bus. Don't jump straight out as most people do resulting in a crap game with sometimes 20 players getting killed be fore my feet sometimes hit the ground.
3. Know when to craft, early in the game only use the wood and only use it for stairs. You'll need metal and brick for later in the game to build a fort.
4. Explore the island, if you go to the same places sometimes you get poor loot and guns. Explore the island as the shrinking safety zone can be anywhere on the island.
5. Never run from a fight, if you turn your back on someone you will be shot. Learn how to fight and what weapons are best for short and long range.
1. Stay out of the storm, players always "get lost in the storm" so always know where the safety zone is and get there with plenty of time to spare.
2. Don't jump straight out of the bus, you start the game by flying over the island in a bus. Don't jump straight out as most people do resulting in a crap game with sometimes 20 players getting killed be fore my feet sometimes hit the ground.
3. Know when to craft, early in the game only use the wood and only use it for stairs. You'll need metal and brick for later in the game to build a fort.
4. Explore the island, if you go to the same places sometimes you get poor loot and guns. Explore the island as the shrinking safety zone can be anywhere on the island.
5. Never run from a fight, if you turn your back on someone you will be shot. Learn how to fight and what weapons are best for short and long range.
Sunday, 19 November 2017
Its Christmas - Its not Christmas
An annoying habit is people celebrating Christmas early and earlier with the end result is Christmas themed adverts and TV shows as early as quarter past November. Christmas decorations are already up in some homes as well as shops and it is utterly ridiculous.
I don't know about you lady and gentle reader but its this bloggers opinion to let Christmas be Christmas. Lets not be led into starting early because some shop wants to launch a Black Friday sale, as far as I'm concerned Christmas begins on December the 1st and ends on boxing day. I will not be swayed on the subject and will no doubt be in the Christmas spirit in a little under a fortnight.
I don't know about you lady and gentle reader but its this bloggers opinion to let Christmas be Christmas. Lets not be led into starting early because some shop wants to launch a Black Friday sale, as far as I'm concerned Christmas begins on December the 1st and ends on boxing day. I will not be swayed on the subject and will no doubt be in the Christmas spirit in a little under a fortnight.
Sunday, 22 October 2017
The Big Finish Catch-up: January 2017
For those of you new to this section of the blog, I started listening to the Big Finish Doctor Who releases when they started back in 1999, getting them as they were released up to mid 2002 and release No 33 Neverland. At that time I left Uni and due to being a bit busy with life and what not I only heard one or two releases over the next few years. I started getting back into them around 2008 and was 6 years behind at that point. Due to wondering off into the Lost Doctor range and a relaxed listening pace I fell further behind. In order to catch up I'm listening to two releases a month (or more when its a 60 min single disc release, plus without seeing the cover or knowing anything about the story) and my mission to catch up continues;
First up this month was 'Assassin in the Limelight" featuring Colin Baker as the 6th Doctor and Maggie Stables as Evelyn. This is a very strong story from Robert Ross and sees him bring back Knox as played by Leslie Phillips. Its a story dripping in atmosphere with a similar vibe to the writers debut story which is also set around a lesser known event in history. Theres a plot which gets stronger as the story goes along but the main draw to this story is the return of Knox who has a great rapport with the regulars. Also I'm treasuring Maggie Stables as Evelyn as I don't know how many stories we have left with her. In short a strong, powerful story and in effect possibly the finale of an unofficial Robert Ross trilogy, 8/10.
Next up was "The Boy that Time Forgot" featuring Peter Davison as the 5th Doctor and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa. A rather fun pulpish adventure story given added depth by Andrew Sachs character, I wont be spoiling this as I'd recommend that you come to this story like me and get taken by the surprise of it. The story feels a bit disjointed and leads into the next story for this TARDIS crew, however I was expecting more of Thomas Brewster and I was genuinely thrown a bit of kilter by the unexpected nature of this story 8/10.
Next up was "A Sting in the Tale" with Tom baker as the 4th Doctor and Richard Franklin as Mike Yates. A good solid story which focuses on plot instead of the flavour I tend to associate with this range. It has the feeling of a story where the stage is being set for later releases but Tom Baker is brilliant, 7/10.
Finally this month we have Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor and Sheridan Smith as Lucie. Of the stories I heard this month "Brave New Town" is my favourite. A lovely plot, fantastic performances and full of aspects that still stay strong in the memory as I write this months later. This has become my go to story when I think of one that does the 60 minute (half the normal length of a Big Finish release) perfectly. Highly recommended 9/10
First up this month was 'Assassin in the Limelight" featuring Colin Baker as the 6th Doctor and Maggie Stables as Evelyn. This is a very strong story from Robert Ross and sees him bring back Knox as played by Leslie Phillips. Its a story dripping in atmosphere with a similar vibe to the writers debut story which is also set around a lesser known event in history. Theres a plot which gets stronger as the story goes along but the main draw to this story is the return of Knox who has a great rapport with the regulars. Also I'm treasuring Maggie Stables as Evelyn as I don't know how many stories we have left with her. In short a strong, powerful story and in effect possibly the finale of an unofficial Robert Ross trilogy, 8/10.
Next up was "The Boy that Time Forgot" featuring Peter Davison as the 5th Doctor and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa. A rather fun pulpish adventure story given added depth by Andrew Sachs character, I wont be spoiling this as I'd recommend that you come to this story like me and get taken by the surprise of it. The story feels a bit disjointed and leads into the next story for this TARDIS crew, however I was expecting more of Thomas Brewster and I was genuinely thrown a bit of kilter by the unexpected nature of this story 8/10.
Next up was "A Sting in the Tale" with Tom baker as the 4th Doctor and Richard Franklin as Mike Yates. A good solid story which focuses on plot instead of the flavour I tend to associate with this range. It has the feeling of a story where the stage is being set for later releases but Tom Baker is brilliant, 7/10.
Finally this month we have Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor and Sheridan Smith as Lucie. Of the stories I heard this month "Brave New Town" is my favourite. A lovely plot, fantastic performances and full of aspects that still stay strong in the memory as I write this months later. This has become my go to story when I think of one that does the 60 minute (half the normal length of a Big Finish release) perfectly. Highly recommended 9/10
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Doctor Foster
Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, for those of you unaware this evening is the final episode of the second series of Doctor Foster a drama on BBC 1. I for one wont be watching and haven't been watching since week one. Allow me to explain why...
Episode one was a slow build up of tension for the titular Doctor Foster with her ex husband that result in her taking her wedding ring off and melting it in acid. After 55 minutes of build up I was left feeling non-plussed and asking myself 'is that it?' In short it was an episode of building up to nothing, in a cinema for a two hour film this is acceptable not on a TV show where we have a week between episodes.
On mentioning tonights episode to my sister about tonights episode I asked if anything had actually happened yet. Her answer was 'no.' I'm so glad I got out of this show when I did, three weeks of build up to something is my idea of poor TV. If anyone is still watching I hope you're enjoying it but for the rest of us endless buildup isn't enough. It is poor pacing of a TV series and I for one will not be risking tuning in if there is a third series.
Episode one was a slow build up of tension for the titular Doctor Foster with her ex husband that result in her taking her wedding ring off and melting it in acid. After 55 minutes of build up I was left feeling non-plussed and asking myself 'is that it?' In short it was an episode of building up to nothing, in a cinema for a two hour film this is acceptable not on a TV show where we have a week between episodes.
On mentioning tonights episode to my sister about tonights episode I asked if anything had actually happened yet. Her answer was 'no.' I'm so glad I got out of this show when I did, three weeks of build up to something is my idea of poor TV. If anyone is still watching I hope you're enjoying it but for the rest of us endless buildup isn't enough. It is poor pacing of a TV series and I for one will not be risking tuning in if there is a third series.
Thursday, 31 August 2017
Thoughts on Virgil van Dijk going into Transfer Day
I don't understand Liverpool FC fandoms obsession with Virgil van Dijk.
I'm not here to bury him I'm not here to praise him I'm not here to bury him I'm here to give my take on the situation and tell the facts how I see them.
First things first, van Dijk is a perfectly decent centre back, Liverpool don't need a perfectly decent centre back. We should be looking for someone a level higher up than that. Liverpool are in the Champions League for the second time in nine seasons. If Liverpool want to stay at this level and push on we need to be looking for a centre back with top quality experience at this level. There are plenty of very good players currently at teams who have fallen out of a Champions League spot or still in them who we are in a position to try and sign them.
This is the level of player I think we should be going for, instead Liverpool fans have developed an obsession for Virgil van Dijk whose experience of the Champions League is losing with Celtic and winning two SPL titles with no opposition for Celtic. I've heard talk of van Dijk taking the Premiership by storm over the last two years, which conveniently forgets he spent half of last season out injured.
I'm not saying don't buy him, if anything I'd put out a case for bringing him in January. In short he just isn't a priority we need to be going for a defender with go faster stripes who is going to drag the rest of the defence up by their bootstraps. I have seen nothing to convince me that Virgil van Dijk is that player, as such he isn't a deadline day priority.
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
Thoughts going into Hoffenheim Vs Liverpool
Its early in the football season and tonight Liverpool play the first leg in their qualifying tie against Hoffenheim. Essentially everything achieved in the league comes down to these two games against decent German opposition. The mood is worrying to cautious, having played one league game the worries from last season are still in place, mainly the defence and lack of a dynamic defensive midfielder.
A lot of my thinking going into tonight's game is based on the 3-3 draw with Watford at the weekend and they are as follows;
Mingolet cannot start, Klopp himself said there is a three way shoot out for the keepers jersey this season and based on two of the goals conceded Mingolet has lost his place and should join the back of the queue.
Moreno looked decent, he's not a defender and I believe he needs to be played further up field but he's looking good and was our best attacker at the weekend.
I'm not going to turn on the midfield three of Can, Wijnaldum and Henderson after one game but collectively they got off to a slow start and need to have more impact tonight.
I'm looking forward to seeing Mane and Salah running riot with hopefully Firmino joining in more than at the weekend.
With regards to the squad I'm disappointed we haven't brought in a central defender. We need more quality in that area of the pitch, also I'm not convinced Virgil van Dijk is the player we need. We should be going for proven Champions League quality and all van Dijk has done at that level is get tonked by various clubs with Celtic.
Overall thoughts for tonight's match are I want us tight, I want us to work as a unit, get a goal or two and kill the second leg at home.
A lot of my thinking going into tonight's game is based on the 3-3 draw with Watford at the weekend and they are as follows;
Mingolet cannot start, Klopp himself said there is a three way shoot out for the keepers jersey this season and based on two of the goals conceded Mingolet has lost his place and should join the back of the queue.
Moreno looked decent, he's not a defender and I believe he needs to be played further up field but he's looking good and was our best attacker at the weekend.
I'm not going to turn on the midfield three of Can, Wijnaldum and Henderson after one game but collectively they got off to a slow start and need to have more impact tonight.
I'm looking forward to seeing Mane and Salah running riot with hopefully Firmino joining in more than at the weekend.
With regards to the squad I'm disappointed we haven't brought in a central defender. We need more quality in that area of the pitch, also I'm not convinced Virgil van Dijk is the player we need. We should be going for proven Champions League quality and all van Dijk has done at that level is get tonked by various clubs with Celtic.
Overall thoughts for tonight's match are I want us tight, I want us to work as a unit, get a goal or two and kill the second leg at home.
Wednesday, 19 July 2017
Beauty and the Beast
Twenty-six years after the original Disney have released a film version of the 1991 hit animation release 'Beauty and the Beast.' For a particular generation this film is a classic and news of a filmic reinterpretation had fans of the original excited and full of glee. With director Bill Condon at the helm and the potentially perfect casting of Emma Watson nothing but good news filtered through to the public during the production.
With the original being a much loved Disney release containing, classic songs, characters and Disney moments how would the film stand up. I've seen it and here are my thoughts;
1. Emma Watson
Visually Watson is a fantastic fit as Belle, everything from the poise to the costume is a perfect fit. There are subtleties from the animated character and Watson manages to replicate them and in some cases bring her own twist to them.
As Belle Watson is the star of the film, a big step up for her as thus far she has played mostly supporting roles. She is the centre point, holds the screen and has the presence to command attention from all of her more experienced co-stars. On top of that this being a musical she can sing, she's clearly having the time of her life belting out the opening song and carries the form throughout the film.
The biggest compliment you can give an actor so heavily associated with one particular character is during the the performance I never thought of that role. Indeed Belle is a softer role than Watson usually plays and at no point during the film did I feel like I was watching Hermione Granger in a French frock.
2. Dan Stevens
Make no bones about it, there is more to the role of the beast than simply voicing an animated character. The Beast is this generations Mr Darcy and as such the character stands out from the rest of the cast. The transformation of the character sees Stevens provide the widest acting range of the movie and he carries it off well.
Comparing Stevens early scenes to the ending it looks like he's playing two different characters, buts a disservice to his performance. There isn't one scene where his performances changes with the snap of a finger - it happens gradually throughout the film.The film even manages to show humour and a bit of fun during the film.
A potentially tricky role, given that the majority of other parts are wonderfully over the top the role of the Beast is a more serious acting job. Stevens does a very good job of making the viewer care about the Beast despite where the character starts out in the story and does a good job of showing Beasts growth and development throughout the film.
3. Bill Condon
Condon has a remarkable track record, his recent film "Mr Holmes" was a masterpeace. He has form in fantasy films with female leads and directed one of the best musical based films in recent memory. If you had to handpick a director for this project Bill Condon would firmly be the number one target.
With such dexteritous film in terms of tone, effects and music a lot is asked of Bill Condon and he delivers. By far his best asset is his shot selection and the cinematography is one of the best aspects to the film, the best shots being The Beast lurking on the ramparts later in the film and the fight scenes, its a shame theres not a lot of action in the film as the climactic battle was both lots of fun and visually engaging.
4. The Supporting Cast
While the leads actors are two of the movies strongest aspects the guest cast is full of scene stealers. Luke Evans is on fine form as Gaston, his double act with Josh Gad is worth the price of admission alone.
Kevin Kline as Maurice gives such a nuanced performance that it makes the viewer wonder why he doesn't have more Oscars.
As the servants Ewan McGregor easily gives his best performance in over a decade while Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson bring much warmth to the Beast household.
5 The Songs
Brilliant, be our guest is as good as I hoped - plus the director toys with us as its later than the animation and Gaston is the stand out song on the film.
In short brilliant.
With the original being a much loved Disney release containing, classic songs, characters and Disney moments how would the film stand up. I've seen it and here are my thoughts;
1. Emma Watson
Visually Watson is a fantastic fit as Belle, everything from the poise to the costume is a perfect fit. There are subtleties from the animated character and Watson manages to replicate them and in some cases bring her own twist to them.
As Belle Watson is the star of the film, a big step up for her as thus far she has played mostly supporting roles. She is the centre point, holds the screen and has the presence to command attention from all of her more experienced co-stars. On top of that this being a musical she can sing, she's clearly having the time of her life belting out the opening song and carries the form throughout the film.
The biggest compliment you can give an actor so heavily associated with one particular character is during the the performance I never thought of that role. Indeed Belle is a softer role than Watson usually plays and at no point during the film did I feel like I was watching Hermione Granger in a French frock.
2. Dan Stevens
Make no bones about it, there is more to the role of the beast than simply voicing an animated character. The Beast is this generations Mr Darcy and as such the character stands out from the rest of the cast. The transformation of the character sees Stevens provide the widest acting range of the movie and he carries it off well.
Comparing Stevens early scenes to the ending it looks like he's playing two different characters, buts a disservice to his performance. There isn't one scene where his performances changes with the snap of a finger - it happens gradually throughout the film.The film even manages to show humour and a bit of fun during the film.
A potentially tricky role, given that the majority of other parts are wonderfully over the top the role of the Beast is a more serious acting job. Stevens does a very good job of making the viewer care about the Beast despite where the character starts out in the story and does a good job of showing Beasts growth and development throughout the film.
3. Bill Condon
Condon has a remarkable track record, his recent film "Mr Holmes" was a masterpeace. He has form in fantasy films with female leads and directed one of the best musical based films in recent memory. If you had to handpick a director for this project Bill Condon would firmly be the number one target.
With such dexteritous film in terms of tone, effects and music a lot is asked of Bill Condon and he delivers. By far his best asset is his shot selection and the cinematography is one of the best aspects to the film, the best shots being The Beast lurking on the ramparts later in the film and the fight scenes, its a shame theres not a lot of action in the film as the climactic battle was both lots of fun and visually engaging.
4. The Supporting Cast
While the leads actors are two of the movies strongest aspects the guest cast is full of scene stealers. Luke Evans is on fine form as Gaston, his double act with Josh Gad is worth the price of admission alone.
Kevin Kline as Maurice gives such a nuanced performance that it makes the viewer wonder why he doesn't have more Oscars.
As the servants Ewan McGregor easily gives his best performance in over a decade while Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson bring much warmth to the Beast household.
5 The Songs
Brilliant, be our guest is as good as I hoped - plus the director toys with us as its later than the animation and Gaston is the stand out song on the film.
In short brilliant.
Tuesday, 18 July 2017
Sunday, 16 July 2017
Sunday, 25 June 2017
10 Things you didn't know about the Cybermen
In case you didn't know a new series of Doctor Who is soon to be appearing on our screens in April and this last week a trailer was finally dropped on us. Series 10 is to be the final outing of the 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi and Showrunner Steven Moffat and if that trailers anything to go by its going to be a belter.
As well as showing us tantalising glimpses of new elements for this series there were a few familiar elements too. One of those was an unfamiliar sighting of a Cybermen - don't worry your eyes did not deceive you it was a Cyberman, trust me I know these things. If you thought to yourself " I didn't know Cybermen could like that" don't worry readers here at WhatCulture we're here to help with 10 facts that you didn't know about Doctor Who's second most popular monster. So without further ado lets release the facts;
1. The First Cyberman Story Concluded With The Death of the First Doctor
Yes indeed readers, after three magnificent years at the controls of the TARDIS William Hartnell departed the show in 1966. In order to send him off on a high the production team put their collective heads together to come up with a brand new monster for The Doctor to face on his swan song.
Script editor Gerry Davis and scientific adviser Kit Pedler were inspired by cybernetics and would explore the concept before applying a science fiction twist. The result was the Cybermen gracing our screens for the very first time and the show finally striking lightning twice and gaining a monster like the Daleks that would reappear many times in the future.
Although the Cybermen themselves were not responsible for The Doctors first death this adventure took its toll on the Time Lord. This meant that the first era of Doctor Who ended with two milestones the first regeneration and the first appearance of the Cybermen.
2. The First Cybermen Design Was Not The Traditional Cybermen Design
Think Cybermen think blank metallic faces, however that's not the case with their appearance. A few elements such as the height, chest unit and head handles were present on the first outing - they were humongous but they were present but nothing else was. Instead of the silver steel viewers would become so familiar with the Cybermen had a distinct cloth helmet, rubber suit and silver painted boots.
But wait readers theres more, the iconic modulated voices were also still yet to come. While the iconic robotic sound was a few stories away the Cybermen in this story had a high campy staccato voice that sounded far more human than machine. However this more simplified Cybermen is perhaps more in keeping with the original concept these for the silver giants.
The much more well known design was just around the corner arriving in their second story and this design would not be revisited until 2017 and this coming series.
3. They Were The First Aliens On The Moon!
Yes indeed dear readers, nearly two years before Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'the Buzzmeister' Aldrin Doctor Who beat them to it. Lo and behold in 1967's 'The Moonbase' who did he find there plotting another attempt to take over the Earth? The newly designed Cybermen fresh with their silver plated faces and more stream lined style.
While the show would revisit the moon over the years this was the first occasion. An iconic aspect of the Cybermen is their iconic metallic march along with the cybernetic clanking which the New series has added in recent years. This story is the first time we saw this and that silent march across the lunar landscape would forever be embedded in the minds of viewers at the time.
Certainly other monster in Doctor Who would use the moon be it Ice Warriors, Spiders and even be revealed to be an egg but the Cybermen would be the first monsters to place their flag on the surface.
4. They Were The Fist Monsters To Be Fought by Unit
Readers may be aware of the current incarnation of Unit fronted by Kate Stewart and Osgood who have appeared with the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors but their history goes back a lot further. Back in 1968 colour TV was on the way and opposed to travelling alien worlds Doctor Who was experimenting with bring the aliens to Earth on a more regular basis. Hence the creation of Unit in their originally more military guise to assist the Doctor.
Originally popping up in 'The Invasion' this lengthy story would see Patrick Troughtons Doctor investigating the company 'International Electromatics' only to discover it was a front for the Cybermen. The silver giants would enter the story late breathing more life turning this story from one of international corporate subterfuge to one of invasion.
Again an iconic story, Unit and the Cybermens appearance here would set the template for the majority of stories from the first half of the 1970's and see the show enter its second decade.
5. They Didn't Appear As The Villains During The Jon Pertwee Era
Now this one is a bit of a shocker that even long time fans of the show are unaware of. We've already established that the Cybermen arrived right at the end of the First Doctor era, they turned up multiple time during the Second Doctor era but they failed entirely to turn up and terrorise the Third Doctor during Jon Pertwees era. The Third Doctor spent most of his time trapped on Earth and as the Cybermen had already attempted to take on the present day and Unit in the previous era the production team didn't use them.
They do appear in this era - in a blink and you miss them cameo but the silver giants wouldn't reappear until Tom Baker reared his head.
The Third Doctor would finally get to take on the Cybermen in a sequence during 'The Five Doctors' that was so memorable a generation would forever associate the silver haired Doctor with arch silver nemesis.
6. Gold
Weaknesses, everyone has them! Daleks have staircases, Angels you look and Sontarans can be taken out with a blow to the back of the neck but how do you take down a Cybermen? During their early years The Doctor had used a wide variety of tactics to take them out including gravity, radar and nail varnish remover - yes you did read that last one correctly! In the mid 1970's the production team decided it was finally time to give the Cybermen a weakness and what did they choose?
Gold! Not the chart topping hit from Spandau Ballet the glittery yellow metal favoured by jewellers everywhere. This would manifest itself in a number of ways from arrows, gold dust clogging up their breathing apparatus and nearly being wiped out with the wonderfully named glitter gun.
This is something that has largely been ignored since the show came back in 2005. However if they Cybermen get to big for their boots expect to see Peter Capaldi heading for the nearest Harvey Nichols to stock up on ammo.
7. Word Of Mouth
As we've already covered the Cybermen are one of Doctor Who's longest running villains but there were periods of the show where they didn't appear. The really good thing about writing a race or a character off is that you get to bring them back. Hell, virtually every other cliffhanger from 'Lost' involves a character reappearing.
However in 1983 the production team did what many people think would be impossible today - they brought them back without the fans or the viewers finding out in advance!
How was this done? Studio observation galleries were closed, Cybermen were confined to the studio where they could be kept a secret, their name was taken off the title and even a Radio Times cover was turned down. The first time the Great British public found out the Cybermen were back was when they popped up at the climax of episode one.
And what was the end result? Everyone was talking about it! Fans, school kids, parents the papers! By going with no publicity the show had generated the most publicity it had in years.
8. Spare Parts
Ask 100 Doctor Who fan to name their ten favourite stories and you will no doubt get 100 different lists. One story that will no doubt pop up a lot is Genesis of the Daleks where the show tackled the origin of the Daleks. After watching it you may get the idea to dig out the story where we get the Cyberman origin, don't bother looking for it as you wont find it.
Bizarre as it may seem the Doctor Who never tackled the origin of the Cybermen. The first time we got a glimpse into their origin was during the 'wilderness' years when the show was off the air. The audio company Big Finish, released the story 'Spare Parts' which saw the Fifth Doctor witness the birth of the Cybermen.
This story would go on to become so well regarded that when Russell T Davies decided to bring them back he set 'The Rise of the Cybermen' in an alternate universe so 'Spare Parts' would still stand as an origin story.
9. You've Got Me Feeling Emotions
One of the key features about the Cybermen is that technology has done away with emotion. However to the eagle eyed observer this isn't often the case, from their early appearances to most recent emotions have often been on display.
Season 8 saw a number of characters being cyber converted including companion Clara's love interest Danny Pink. Not only did he retain his humanity he showed a range of emotions including love and shock, he also uses his army skills to command the Cyber army.
During Season 2 during David Tennants era on the show the Cybermen would convert members of Torchwood including Yvonne Hartman. One of the most memorable moments from this story is the post conversion Hartman crying through her emotionless face.
During the classic run of the show the Cybermen were at their most emotional when facing Tom Bakers Fourth Doctor. Tom Baker was able to antagonise them as easily as a schoolboy and set the tone for future confrontations where the Cybermen would show a distinct touch of smugness when confronting The Doctor.
10. They Killed Adric
As we touched on earlier 1983's Earthshock saw the triumphant return of the Cybermen with a shock return as the surprise villains. However the producer of the time John Nathan-Turner, wanted the story to have more of impact. How did he choose to do this? By killing off Adric, a companion whose time of the show crossed over from the Fourth to the Fifth Doctor.
Again like the reappearance of the Cybermen this was kept under wraps and nobody knew about it until broadcast. The production team were so determined to keep it a secret they even hired the actor - Matthew Waterhouse for the next story where he appeared as a hologram. The viewers of the time were being treated to shocks right left and centre, a companion hadn't been killed since the 1960's.
Repercussions of this would be carried over into the next story and into future seasons as Doctor Who looked to cast off its cosy image and carry on into the 1980's with a more gritty feeling. But for the Cybermen the death of Adric would be the moment that catapulted them back into the public consciousness.
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As well as showing us tantalising glimpses of new elements for this series there were a few familiar elements too. One of those was an unfamiliar sighting of a Cybermen - don't worry your eyes did not deceive you it was a Cyberman, trust me I know these things. If you thought to yourself " I didn't know Cybermen could like that" don't worry readers here at WhatCulture we're here to help with 10 facts that you didn't know about Doctor Who's second most popular monster. So without further ado lets release the facts;
1. The First Cyberman Story Concluded With The Death of the First Doctor
Yes indeed readers, after three magnificent years at the controls of the TARDIS William Hartnell departed the show in 1966. In order to send him off on a high the production team put their collective heads together to come up with a brand new monster for The Doctor to face on his swan song.
Script editor Gerry Davis and scientific adviser Kit Pedler were inspired by cybernetics and would explore the concept before applying a science fiction twist. The result was the Cybermen gracing our screens for the very first time and the show finally striking lightning twice and gaining a monster like the Daleks that would reappear many times in the future.
Although the Cybermen themselves were not responsible for The Doctors first death this adventure took its toll on the Time Lord. This meant that the first era of Doctor Who ended with two milestones the first regeneration and the first appearance of the Cybermen.
2. The First Cybermen Design Was Not The Traditional Cybermen Design
Think Cybermen think blank metallic faces, however that's not the case with their appearance. A few elements such as the height, chest unit and head handles were present on the first outing - they were humongous but they were present but nothing else was. Instead of the silver steel viewers would become so familiar with the Cybermen had a distinct cloth helmet, rubber suit and silver painted boots.
But wait readers theres more, the iconic modulated voices were also still yet to come. While the iconic robotic sound was a few stories away the Cybermen in this story had a high campy staccato voice that sounded far more human than machine. However this more simplified Cybermen is perhaps more in keeping with the original concept these for the silver giants.
The much more well known design was just around the corner arriving in their second story and this design would not be revisited until 2017 and this coming series.
3. They Were The First Aliens On The Moon!
Yes indeed dear readers, nearly two years before Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'the Buzzmeister' Aldrin Doctor Who beat them to it. Lo and behold in 1967's 'The Moonbase' who did he find there plotting another attempt to take over the Earth? The newly designed Cybermen fresh with their silver plated faces and more stream lined style.
While the show would revisit the moon over the years this was the first occasion. An iconic aspect of the Cybermen is their iconic metallic march along with the cybernetic clanking which the New series has added in recent years. This story is the first time we saw this and that silent march across the lunar landscape would forever be embedded in the minds of viewers at the time.
Certainly other monster in Doctor Who would use the moon be it Ice Warriors, Spiders and even be revealed to be an egg but the Cybermen would be the first monsters to place their flag on the surface.
4. They Were The Fist Monsters To Be Fought by Unit
Readers may be aware of the current incarnation of Unit fronted by Kate Stewart and Osgood who have appeared with the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors but their history goes back a lot further. Back in 1968 colour TV was on the way and opposed to travelling alien worlds Doctor Who was experimenting with bring the aliens to Earth on a more regular basis. Hence the creation of Unit in their originally more military guise to assist the Doctor.
Originally popping up in 'The Invasion' this lengthy story would see Patrick Troughtons Doctor investigating the company 'International Electromatics' only to discover it was a front for the Cybermen. The silver giants would enter the story late breathing more life turning this story from one of international corporate subterfuge to one of invasion.
Again an iconic story, Unit and the Cybermens appearance here would set the template for the majority of stories from the first half of the 1970's and see the show enter its second decade.
5. They Didn't Appear As The Villains During The Jon Pertwee Era
Now this one is a bit of a shocker that even long time fans of the show are unaware of. We've already established that the Cybermen arrived right at the end of the First Doctor era, they turned up multiple time during the Second Doctor era but they failed entirely to turn up and terrorise the Third Doctor during Jon Pertwees era. The Third Doctor spent most of his time trapped on Earth and as the Cybermen had already attempted to take on the present day and Unit in the previous era the production team didn't use them.
They do appear in this era - in a blink and you miss them cameo but the silver giants wouldn't reappear until Tom Baker reared his head.
The Third Doctor would finally get to take on the Cybermen in a sequence during 'The Five Doctors' that was so memorable a generation would forever associate the silver haired Doctor with arch silver nemesis.
6. Gold
Weaknesses, everyone has them! Daleks have staircases, Angels you look and Sontarans can be taken out with a blow to the back of the neck but how do you take down a Cybermen? During their early years The Doctor had used a wide variety of tactics to take them out including gravity, radar and nail varnish remover - yes you did read that last one correctly! In the mid 1970's the production team decided it was finally time to give the Cybermen a weakness and what did they choose?
Gold! Not the chart topping hit from Spandau Ballet the glittery yellow metal favoured by jewellers everywhere. This would manifest itself in a number of ways from arrows, gold dust clogging up their breathing apparatus and nearly being wiped out with the wonderfully named glitter gun.
This is something that has largely been ignored since the show came back in 2005. However if they Cybermen get to big for their boots expect to see Peter Capaldi heading for the nearest Harvey Nichols to stock up on ammo.
7. Word Of Mouth
As we've already covered the Cybermen are one of Doctor Who's longest running villains but there were periods of the show where they didn't appear. The really good thing about writing a race or a character off is that you get to bring them back. Hell, virtually every other cliffhanger from 'Lost' involves a character reappearing.
However in 1983 the production team did what many people think would be impossible today - they brought them back without the fans or the viewers finding out in advance!
How was this done? Studio observation galleries were closed, Cybermen were confined to the studio where they could be kept a secret, their name was taken off the title and even a Radio Times cover was turned down. The first time the Great British public found out the Cybermen were back was when they popped up at the climax of episode one.
And what was the end result? Everyone was talking about it! Fans, school kids, parents the papers! By going with no publicity the show had generated the most publicity it had in years.
8. Spare Parts
Ask 100 Doctor Who fan to name their ten favourite stories and you will no doubt get 100 different lists. One story that will no doubt pop up a lot is Genesis of the Daleks where the show tackled the origin of the Daleks. After watching it you may get the idea to dig out the story where we get the Cyberman origin, don't bother looking for it as you wont find it.
Bizarre as it may seem the Doctor Who never tackled the origin of the Cybermen. The first time we got a glimpse into their origin was during the 'wilderness' years when the show was off the air. The audio company Big Finish, released the story 'Spare Parts' which saw the Fifth Doctor witness the birth of the Cybermen.
This story would go on to become so well regarded that when Russell T Davies decided to bring them back he set 'The Rise of the Cybermen' in an alternate universe so 'Spare Parts' would still stand as an origin story.
9. You've Got Me Feeling Emotions
One of the key features about the Cybermen is that technology has done away with emotion. However to the eagle eyed observer this isn't often the case, from their early appearances to most recent emotions have often been on display.
Season 8 saw a number of characters being cyber converted including companion Clara's love interest Danny Pink. Not only did he retain his humanity he showed a range of emotions including love and shock, he also uses his army skills to command the Cyber army.
During Season 2 during David Tennants era on the show the Cybermen would convert members of Torchwood including Yvonne Hartman. One of the most memorable moments from this story is the post conversion Hartman crying through her emotionless face.
During the classic run of the show the Cybermen were at their most emotional when facing Tom Bakers Fourth Doctor. Tom Baker was able to antagonise them as easily as a schoolboy and set the tone for future confrontations where the Cybermen would show a distinct touch of smugness when confronting The Doctor.
10. They Killed Adric
As we touched on earlier 1983's Earthshock saw the triumphant return of the Cybermen with a shock return as the surprise villains. However the producer of the time John Nathan-Turner, wanted the story to have more of impact. How did he choose to do this? By killing off Adric, a companion whose time of the show crossed over from the Fourth to the Fifth Doctor.
Again like the reappearance of the Cybermen this was kept under wraps and nobody knew about it until broadcast. The production team were so determined to keep it a secret they even hired the actor - Matthew Waterhouse for the next story where he appeared as a hologram. The viewers of the time were being treated to shocks right left and centre, a companion hadn't been killed since the 1960's.
Repercussions of this would be carried over into the next story and into future seasons as Doctor Who looked to cast off its cosy image and carry on into the 1980's with a more gritty feeling. But for the Cybermen the death of Adric would be the moment that catapulted them back into the public consciousness.
correspond.
Monday, 12 June 2017
The DVD Archives: Star Trek Voyager Season 2
My watch through of Star Trek Voyager continues and strap yourselves in and prepare for my thoughts on season 2;
The 37's: Interesting start to the second series and a good coda of reminding the viewers of the journey to Earth. Shame none of the guest characters joined the crew. 7/10
Initiations: A rather fun examination of the Kazon with Chakotay getting a lot to do. 9/10
Projections: A very very enjoyable episode and a good way to get the Doctor out of sickbay. One of those episodes where you'll never forget watching it for the first time. 10/10
Elogium: One of those strange science/life form stories that were about at the start of last season. Alright episode. 5/10
Non Sequitur: Harry Kim is the main character in another dull episode. 0/10
Parturition: A fun episode with lots of character stuff. 6/10
Persistence of Vision: A very good story that gets darker, the crew being taken out one by one would become a trope with this being one of the best examples. 10/10
Twisted: More fun science as the inside of the ship is twisted out of shape, a personal favourite. 10/10
Tattoo: Dull but worthy. 5/10
Cold Fire: A big episode, with elements of the story reaching a climax and Voyagers one known escape route crashing in on their heads. 8/10
Manoeuvres: A strange episode that doesn't quite gel, I can't decide if Chakotay is acting out of character. 8/10
Resistance: A strong episode with Janeway getting in some good character beats while separated from the crew. 10/10
Prototype: A fantastic episode with the robots coming across as a well defined alien race. 10/10
Alliances: Interesting but I can't help feeling the end is telegraphed and lacking. 4/10
Threshold: This is just muck. -10/10
Meld: A very very interesting twist on the Vulcan mind meld. 10/10
Dreadnought: Blatant reworking of Prototype but still a good-un. 8/10.
Death Wish: Lots of fun with Q and surprisingly very deep. 10/10
Lifesigns: The Vidiians are one of the most interesting aliens in Star Trek, I wish they would appear more often. 9/10
Investigations: The conclusion of an ongoing plot is tied up well with an interesting use of Neelix. 9/10
Deadlock: An interesting and fascinating episode which includes a few swerves. 10/10
Innocence: A rather good episode about alien culture. 7/10
The Thaw: A really dark story with The Clown being one of the most memorable one off characters in Star Trek. 9/10
Tuvix: Outstanding episode showing this show is more than shooting monsters of the week. 10/10
Resolutions: A lot of interesting things going on and rarely on the show there isn't enough time for everything. Perhaps this should have been two episodes long. 8/10
Basics: Very good stuff, with a slow build as its all about the pay off of the crew being stranded. 8/10
The difficult second season is an improvement, theres the odd duff episode but the show is growing in courage.
The 37's: Interesting start to the second series and a good coda of reminding the viewers of the journey to Earth. Shame none of the guest characters joined the crew. 7/10
Initiations: A rather fun examination of the Kazon with Chakotay getting a lot to do. 9/10
Projections: A very very enjoyable episode and a good way to get the Doctor out of sickbay. One of those episodes where you'll never forget watching it for the first time. 10/10
Elogium: One of those strange science/life form stories that were about at the start of last season. Alright episode. 5/10
Non Sequitur: Harry Kim is the main character in another dull episode. 0/10
Parturition: A fun episode with lots of character stuff. 6/10
Persistence of Vision: A very good story that gets darker, the crew being taken out one by one would become a trope with this being one of the best examples. 10/10
Twisted: More fun science as the inside of the ship is twisted out of shape, a personal favourite. 10/10
Tattoo: Dull but worthy. 5/10
Cold Fire: A big episode, with elements of the story reaching a climax and Voyagers one known escape route crashing in on their heads. 8/10
Manoeuvres: A strange episode that doesn't quite gel, I can't decide if Chakotay is acting out of character. 8/10
Resistance: A strong episode with Janeway getting in some good character beats while separated from the crew. 10/10
Prototype: A fantastic episode with the robots coming across as a well defined alien race. 10/10
Alliances: Interesting but I can't help feeling the end is telegraphed and lacking. 4/10
Threshold: This is just muck. -10/10
Meld: A very very interesting twist on the Vulcan mind meld. 10/10
Dreadnought: Blatant reworking of Prototype but still a good-un. 8/10.
Death Wish: Lots of fun with Q and surprisingly very deep. 10/10
Lifesigns: The Vidiians are one of the most interesting aliens in Star Trek, I wish they would appear more often. 9/10
Investigations: The conclusion of an ongoing plot is tied up well with an interesting use of Neelix. 9/10
Deadlock: An interesting and fascinating episode which includes a few swerves. 10/10
Innocence: A rather good episode about alien culture. 7/10
The Thaw: A really dark story with The Clown being one of the most memorable one off characters in Star Trek. 9/10
Tuvix: Outstanding episode showing this show is more than shooting monsters of the week. 10/10
Resolutions: A lot of interesting things going on and rarely on the show there isn't enough time for everything. Perhaps this should have been two episodes long. 8/10
Basics: Very good stuff, with a slow build as its all about the pay off of the crew being stranded. 8/10
The difficult second season is an improvement, theres the odd duff episode but the show is growing in courage.
Friday, 9 June 2017
10 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading IDW's Transformers
Unless you've been hiding in a cave for the last ten years you can't help but have noticed the Michael Bay directed Transformers franchise which has become a fixture in the cinemas in recent time. These films have made such an impact that the big red truck and small yellow sports car have re-emerged as staples in popular culture.
However the average cinema goer may be unaware of is that like the heroes of DC and Marvel these films are based on characters from the world of comics. That's right, Optimus Prime and his cohorts have been having panel based adventures since the 1980's which are still going in the present day.
Readers of a certain age may have a fond memory of a time when their toy collections were front and centre of Marvels comic empire. Marvel may not be the current home of our Cybertronian friends but the comics are enjoying a rich vain of form in their new home comics publisher IDW.
While the most well known face of The Transformers at present time is the film franchise here are ten reasons why you should be reading IDW's Transformers titles.
10. Optimus Prime
Whenever the transformers show up be it in a cartoon or a film one thing is certain, Optimus Prime is going to make an appearance. He's the leader of the heroic Autobots and the poster boy for the Transformers in all forms. Unless Optimus makes an appearance a lot of people aren't interested, the Transformers without Optimus Prime is like the Avengers without Captain America or Iron Man.
For anyone whose interest solely rests on Optimus IDW have put him centre stage of his self titled ongoing series. Given his own status quo, Optimus has been moved away from most of the other Transformers and placed on Earth much like the films. So for the reader looking for some Earth based action featuring the leader of the Autobots this is tailor made for you.
9. New and Neglected Characters
One of the many things that can put readers off picking up a new title is the thought of characters with back stories that go back years. We've all been there, a writer that you like moves to a title that's been going for years and you worry that the opening arc may involve an issue from five years ago that you have no interest in reading.
That's not the case with "More than Meets the Eye" and "Lost Light." While there are a few well known characters the majority of the cast is made up of new and neglected characters with little back story along with older characters that have been given a fresh twist.
Examples include;
Tailgate who fell down a hole and took six million years to climb out leaving him with no knowledge of whats happened to Transformer kind in the intervening millennium.
Swerve who fed up with his career as a metallurgist decides to open a bar on the ship and becomes the proprietor.
Rung the wonderfully timid psychologist who finds himself joining the 'Lost Light' and a ship full of deranged bots in need of his services.
8. World Building
Be it computer role playing games or fictional lands on TV like Westeros in Game of Thrones we all love a well built world to explore. Since ending the Autobot Decepticon war writer of "Robots in Disguise" John Barber has done a lot of work in rebuilding a new Cybertron. Much of the title has been focused on what happens to a war torn planet after the war ends and RiD answers this.
The Autobots, Decepticons and neutrals have come together and formed a new society. There are many twists and turns to read as the Transformers try to live together in peace. Things get distinctly political isn't as action orientated as readers might expect.
On top of Cybertron a number of lost colonies have been added into the mix. This adds many an interesting twist as some of the colonies have branched off in different directions including becoming more religious. The title "Till All Are One" focuses on the colonies coming together and also has a political scene.
7. Here Come the Girls
Back in the days of the original TV series there were no female Tranformers until Arcee was introduced in the movie. Feeling tokenistic she was given a pink colour scheme and placed in a double act with the human Daniel so she could be all motherly towards him.
Things have changed, we have many a female Transformer thanks to IDW. For a while Arcee was the only regular character of female persuasion but during "The Dark Cybertron" crossover more female characters were introduced including Windblade the leader of Caminus. Even better the women aren't limited to the one book as they have been introduced into the casts of all the ongoing titles.
6. The Crazy Gang
Transformers has always been known for its mix of characters from the noble to the villainous. However there are a number of characters that can best be summed up as crazy. Yes indeed there are a number of subgroups in the Transformers and a number of the crazier ones are going strong.
The majority of the Dinobots have been supporting characters in "Robots in Disguise" and the Autobot equivalent of the Suicide Squad The Wreckers have had two well received limited series. To counterpoint this IDW have created two Decepticon squads that are pretty far out, the scavengers and Decepticon Justice Division.
This shows that while the Transformers universe has been humanised there is still a lot of crazy to go around.
5. Arcee
Some may be surprised to see Arcee's name on this list. To most Arcee was the pink female Transformer who was Daniels surrogate mother in the Movie and third season of the cartoon. Well IDW has thrown all of that out of the window and replaced it with not only something different but the polar opposite.
If Transformers could be compared to the X-men the current version of Arcee is Wolverine. She's on the side of the angels but she does the things most of the other Autobots don't know about. Like Wolverine she lurks in the shadows and has arguably become the breakout character.
4. Shades of Grey
There has always been a number of constants in the Transformers universe with the main one being Autobots are good and Decepticons are bad. This isn't quite the case anymore, now that the war is over the Transformers status-quo is in flux. Some bots have thrown away their badges and moved on with life but not so others.
On the Decepticon Soundwave has tried to set up a peaceful commune and Misfire has developed a protective bond with a brain damaged Grimlock, neither actions can be described as evil. On the other side of things Prowl has become a Machiavellian figure with plots wrapped up in plots including using Arcee as an assassin.
3. The Combiners
One thing already mentioned in this list is sub groups, which most Transformers were member of be it Insecticons or Triple Changers. A number of those groups were combiners where a team of five or six transformers would combine into a larger and more powerful robot.
IDW has taken this concept and pushed it in a powerful direction. Mostly in the "Robots in Disguise" John Barber has made the ability to combine a pivotal one to Transformers. We have seen how this ability affects the individual as well as the team, one of the highlights in recent years has been Prowl joining the Constructicons in forming Devastator and how this has affected Prowl, the Constructicons and Devastator himself.
2. James Roberts
James Roberts is without doubt the creative sleeping giant of comics and has been for some time - in my opinion he is this generations Chris Claremont. Since breaking into IDW's creative team on "Last Stand of the Wreckers" he has become the sole writer on "More That Meets the Eye" and its follow up volume "The Lost Light."
His choice of cast for his ongoing title is so brave, containing so many characters who can best be described as ignored or unloved. As a result people now care about Ultra Magnus and Swerve, one a character that could only be described as dull and the other someone who had never actually done anything in or out of a Transformers title.
Roberts isn't afraid to drip feed the reader of character information or plot. Quite often an issue will hit that ties up a thread that feels like its two issues old but was actually set up two years previously. Everything from the long ranging arcs to the done in one issues are magnificent, if you pick one title to follow make it one penned by James Roberts.
1. Megatron is an Autobot
Your eyes do not deceive you, after the "Dark Cybertron" crossover Megatron did the unthinkable and defected to the Autobots. The events leading up to this were strong, the reasons behind it were somewhat sneaky but by far the best aspect of this arc is seeing the effect it has had on the Lost Light which he now commands.
Megatrons inclusion of the book signals the start of "season two of mtmte where he is among a number of new cast additions. This one plot thread is systematic of IDW's Transformers, nothing is predictable, shocking events happen and not every cast member reacts to it in a possible way.
There you have What Cultures ten reasons to be reading IDW's Transformer titles.
However the average cinema goer may be unaware of is that like the heroes of DC and Marvel these films are based on characters from the world of comics. That's right, Optimus Prime and his cohorts have been having panel based adventures since the 1980's which are still going in the present day.
Readers of a certain age may have a fond memory of a time when their toy collections were front and centre of Marvels comic empire. Marvel may not be the current home of our Cybertronian friends but the comics are enjoying a rich vain of form in their new home comics publisher IDW.
While the most well known face of The Transformers at present time is the film franchise here are ten reasons why you should be reading IDW's Transformers titles.
10. Optimus Prime
Whenever the transformers show up be it in a cartoon or a film one thing is certain, Optimus Prime is going to make an appearance. He's the leader of the heroic Autobots and the poster boy for the Transformers in all forms. Unless Optimus makes an appearance a lot of people aren't interested, the Transformers without Optimus Prime is like the Avengers without Captain America or Iron Man.
For anyone whose interest solely rests on Optimus IDW have put him centre stage of his self titled ongoing series. Given his own status quo, Optimus has been moved away from most of the other Transformers and placed on Earth much like the films. So for the reader looking for some Earth based action featuring the leader of the Autobots this is tailor made for you.
9. New and Neglected Characters
One of the many things that can put readers off picking up a new title is the thought of characters with back stories that go back years. We've all been there, a writer that you like moves to a title that's been going for years and you worry that the opening arc may involve an issue from five years ago that you have no interest in reading.
That's not the case with "More than Meets the Eye" and "Lost Light." While there are a few well known characters the majority of the cast is made up of new and neglected characters with little back story along with older characters that have been given a fresh twist.
Examples include;
Tailgate who fell down a hole and took six million years to climb out leaving him with no knowledge of whats happened to Transformer kind in the intervening millennium.
Swerve who fed up with his career as a metallurgist decides to open a bar on the ship and becomes the proprietor.
Rung the wonderfully timid psychologist who finds himself joining the 'Lost Light' and a ship full of deranged bots in need of his services.
8. World Building
Be it computer role playing games or fictional lands on TV like Westeros in Game of Thrones we all love a well built world to explore. Since ending the Autobot Decepticon war writer of "Robots in Disguise" John Barber has done a lot of work in rebuilding a new Cybertron. Much of the title has been focused on what happens to a war torn planet after the war ends and RiD answers this.
The Autobots, Decepticons and neutrals have come together and formed a new society. There are many twists and turns to read as the Transformers try to live together in peace. Things get distinctly political isn't as action orientated as readers might expect.
On top of Cybertron a number of lost colonies have been added into the mix. This adds many an interesting twist as some of the colonies have branched off in different directions including becoming more religious. The title "Till All Are One" focuses on the colonies coming together and also has a political scene.
7. Here Come the Girls
Back in the days of the original TV series there were no female Tranformers until Arcee was introduced in the movie. Feeling tokenistic she was given a pink colour scheme and placed in a double act with the human Daniel so she could be all motherly towards him.
Things have changed, we have many a female Transformer thanks to IDW. For a while Arcee was the only regular character of female persuasion but during "The Dark Cybertron" crossover more female characters were introduced including Windblade the leader of Caminus. Even better the women aren't limited to the one book as they have been introduced into the casts of all the ongoing titles.
6. The Crazy Gang
Transformers has always been known for its mix of characters from the noble to the villainous. However there are a number of characters that can best be summed up as crazy. Yes indeed there are a number of subgroups in the Transformers and a number of the crazier ones are going strong.
The majority of the Dinobots have been supporting characters in "Robots in Disguise" and the Autobot equivalent of the Suicide Squad The Wreckers have had two well received limited series. To counterpoint this IDW have created two Decepticon squads that are pretty far out, the scavengers and Decepticon Justice Division.
This shows that while the Transformers universe has been humanised there is still a lot of crazy to go around.
5. Arcee
Some may be surprised to see Arcee's name on this list. To most Arcee was the pink female Transformer who was Daniels surrogate mother in the Movie and third season of the cartoon. Well IDW has thrown all of that out of the window and replaced it with not only something different but the polar opposite.
If Transformers could be compared to the X-men the current version of Arcee is Wolverine. She's on the side of the angels but she does the things most of the other Autobots don't know about. Like Wolverine she lurks in the shadows and has arguably become the breakout character.
4. Shades of Grey
There has always been a number of constants in the Transformers universe with the main one being Autobots are good and Decepticons are bad. This isn't quite the case anymore, now that the war is over the Transformers status-quo is in flux. Some bots have thrown away their badges and moved on with life but not so others.
On the Decepticon Soundwave has tried to set up a peaceful commune and Misfire has developed a protective bond with a brain damaged Grimlock, neither actions can be described as evil. On the other side of things Prowl has become a Machiavellian figure with plots wrapped up in plots including using Arcee as an assassin.
3. The Combiners
One thing already mentioned in this list is sub groups, which most Transformers were member of be it Insecticons or Triple Changers. A number of those groups were combiners where a team of five or six transformers would combine into a larger and more powerful robot.
IDW has taken this concept and pushed it in a powerful direction. Mostly in the "Robots in Disguise" John Barber has made the ability to combine a pivotal one to Transformers. We have seen how this ability affects the individual as well as the team, one of the highlights in recent years has been Prowl joining the Constructicons in forming Devastator and how this has affected Prowl, the Constructicons and Devastator himself.
2. James Roberts
James Roberts is without doubt the creative sleeping giant of comics and has been for some time - in my opinion he is this generations Chris Claremont. Since breaking into IDW's creative team on "Last Stand of the Wreckers" he has become the sole writer on "More That Meets the Eye" and its follow up volume "The Lost Light."
His choice of cast for his ongoing title is so brave, containing so many characters who can best be described as ignored or unloved. As a result people now care about Ultra Magnus and Swerve, one a character that could only be described as dull and the other someone who had never actually done anything in or out of a Transformers title.
Roberts isn't afraid to drip feed the reader of character information or plot. Quite often an issue will hit that ties up a thread that feels like its two issues old but was actually set up two years previously. Everything from the long ranging arcs to the done in one issues are magnificent, if you pick one title to follow make it one penned by James Roberts.
1. Megatron is an Autobot
Your eyes do not deceive you, after the "Dark Cybertron" crossover Megatron did the unthinkable and defected to the Autobots. The events leading up to this were strong, the reasons behind it were somewhat sneaky but by far the best aspect of this arc is seeing the effect it has had on the Lost Light which he now commands.
Megatrons inclusion of the book signals the start of "season two of mtmte where he is among a number of new cast additions. This one plot thread is systematic of IDW's Transformers, nothing is predictable, shocking events happen and not every cast member reacts to it in a possible way.
There you have What Cultures ten reasons to be reading IDW's Transformer titles.
Thursday, 25 May 2017
The Big Finish Catch-up: December 2016
For those of you new to this section of the blog, I started listening to the Big Finish Doctor Who releases when they started back in 1999, getting them as they were released up to mid 2002 and release No 33 Neverland. At that time I left Uni and due to being a bit busy with life and what not I only heard one or two releases over the next few years. I started getting back into them around 2008 and was 6 years behind at that point. Due to wondering off into the Lost Doctor range and a relaxed listening pace I fell further behind. In order to catch up I'm listening to two releases a month (or more when its a 60 min single disc release, plus without seeing the cover or knowing anything about the story) and my mission to catch up continues;
I don't have much to say about the order I listen to the releases in, I just buy them, stick them in draw and ask a random family member or friend to sort them out for me into order. However I do ask for one that looks like a "good un" to be reserved for December as kind of a Christmas treat. During December I had a personally bad month due to death of my mother, later in the month I needed to drift away for a few hours and listened to the aforementioned Christmas treat.
It turned out to be "The Highest Science" an adaption of a new adventure book written by Gareth Roberts from the early 90's featuring the 7th Doctor and Bernice Summerfield. Ooh, this is one of those books I always meant to get but never got around to it. I was an avid reader of the range but 24 books a year meant I've nowhere near read them all. This is one that I really liked the cover of and always meant to get around to it.
Its a wonderfully cheeky story with quite an edge - its got a right nasty villain and theres a lot of humour. I'd only read two of Roberts books before so was aware of his style. There is a lot of 'Spinal Tap' style humour and it does feel very 90's in places. The Chelonians I think I've heard or read elsewhere were very good value as was Bernices trucker friend. The main villain is outstandingly evil and the actor is clearly having fun. The only slight niggles are production details where the Chelonians suddenly turn incoherent and an opening that I had to rewind a dozen times as I couldn't understand the railway announcers words.
This is one I know I'm going to come back to, its lots of fun and after twenty years of build up it lived up to my expectations and picked me up when I needed it, 8/10.
I don't have much to say about the order I listen to the releases in, I just buy them, stick them in draw and ask a random family member or friend to sort them out for me into order. However I do ask for one that looks like a "good un" to be reserved for December as kind of a Christmas treat. During December I had a personally bad month due to death of my mother, later in the month I needed to drift away for a few hours and listened to the aforementioned Christmas treat.
It turned out to be "The Highest Science" an adaption of a new adventure book written by Gareth Roberts from the early 90's featuring the 7th Doctor and Bernice Summerfield. Ooh, this is one of those books I always meant to get but never got around to it. I was an avid reader of the range but 24 books a year meant I've nowhere near read them all. This is one that I really liked the cover of and always meant to get around to it.
Its a wonderfully cheeky story with quite an edge - its got a right nasty villain and theres a lot of humour. I'd only read two of Roberts books before so was aware of his style. There is a lot of 'Spinal Tap' style humour and it does feel very 90's in places. The Chelonians I think I've heard or read elsewhere were very good value as was Bernices trucker friend. The main villain is outstandingly evil and the actor is clearly having fun. The only slight niggles are production details where the Chelonians suddenly turn incoherent and an opening that I had to rewind a dozen times as I couldn't understand the railway announcers words.
This is one I know I'm going to come back to, its lots of fun and after twenty years of build up it lived up to my expectations and picked me up when I needed it, 8/10.
Sunday, 14 May 2017
Eurovision 2017
Eurovision is over for another year and so ends another bonkers musical extravoganza. This years highlights included a horse atop a ladder having an epileptic fit and the dawning of a new age of rap yodeling. However the result saw Portugal with the most boring ballad of all time win, hopefully this will be forgotten and next year something bat shit crazy will win.
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Review
I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot?
I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot! I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot.
I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot. I am Groot.
Sunday, 23 April 2017
Doctor Who: Smile
The tenth series of Doctor Who continues apace as this weeks second episode rolled around. This weeks second episode saw something of a tradition in "Nu-Who" as Bill like recent new companions before her enjoyed her first TARDIS trip into the future.
As always the choice of location tells us something about where The Doctor is at psychologically, his choice of location is that of a colony world where the last vestige of humankind are looking to set up home after abandoning Earth. The key aspect of interest here looks to be the aspect of hope after some kind of disaster. A rather fun and low key episode sees Peter Capaldi being very Doctorish and being something of a tour guide to Pearl Mackies Bill. Its something of note that this is the most traditional we have ever seen Peter Capaldi's Doctor.
The episode is rather fun being mostly the regulars and the very cute Emojibots, again the show continues the tradition of taking the normal aspects of everyday life and putting a spin on them. After last weeks visually dark episode this week is very bright with the colony and Emojibots being as white as a Doctor Who set from the 1980's. Things get more interesting as the episode continues as the plot develops but its a tad uninvolving as this is a story more about horror than plot and it makes the mistake of showing its cards in the pre title sequence.
Away from the main part of the story there looks to be some tidbits on offer regarding this seasons arc. Reference is made to the vault seen last episode and The Doctor making an oath not to go roaming off planet. Of particular interest is Matt Lucas brief appearance this week as Nardole where its rather unclear if he is The Doctors butler or jailer.
To sum up a very nice fun little episode, however now we're two episodes into the season I would like to see things move up a gear.
As always the choice of location tells us something about where The Doctor is at psychologically, his choice of location is that of a colony world where the last vestige of humankind are looking to set up home after abandoning Earth. The key aspect of interest here looks to be the aspect of hope after some kind of disaster. A rather fun and low key episode sees Peter Capaldi being very Doctorish and being something of a tour guide to Pearl Mackies Bill. Its something of note that this is the most traditional we have ever seen Peter Capaldi's Doctor.
The episode is rather fun being mostly the regulars and the very cute Emojibots, again the show continues the tradition of taking the normal aspects of everyday life and putting a spin on them. After last weeks visually dark episode this week is very bright with the colony and Emojibots being as white as a Doctor Who set from the 1980's. Things get more interesting as the episode continues as the plot develops but its a tad uninvolving as this is a story more about horror than plot and it makes the mistake of showing its cards in the pre title sequence.
Away from the main part of the story there looks to be some tidbits on offer regarding this seasons arc. Reference is made to the vault seen last episode and The Doctor making an oath not to go roaming off planet. Of particular interest is Matt Lucas brief appearance this week as Nardole where its rather unclear if he is The Doctors butler or jailer.
To sum up a very nice fun little episode, however now we're two episodes into the season I would like to see things move up a gear.
Friday, 21 April 2017
5 Reasons why Jinder Mahal being the number one contender to the WWE Championship is a good thing
1. The Land of Opportunity
Keyfabe wise Smackdown Live presents itself as the land of opportunity and this is what it needs to be for Jinder Mahal right now. Coming off Wrestlemania Mahal is the hottest he's ever been on the main roster, he was the runner up in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and has been slowly building up heat on Raw for months.
This is the ideal time to see if he can sink or swim in the main event scene, right now people care about Jinder Mahal. They are talking about him and they've been booing him for months - he gets a reaction so lets see what he can do on the main event scene instead of the mid card scene.
2. Smackdown Live Needs to Build Heels
While the superstar shakeup was fairly even in who went where there's no denying that in the aftermath Smackdown is light on top level heels. The Miz and Bray Wyatt have moved to Raw, AJ Styles has turned face, Dolph Ziggler has sunk to far from the main even scene to be a legitimate top heel and Baron Corbin is still being built up to be a top level heel.
In short Smackdown needs to build some heels immediately, the only other genuine heel is Kevin Owens and he's busy feuding with Chris Jericho right now. Plus storyline wise he could be going back to Raw within the next few weeks. Lets not forget the last time WWE didn't raise someone up and take a risk it resulted in HHH winning last years Royal Rumble and main eventing Wrestlemania, something nobody wants to see again.
3. Rusev is Injured
Even with the best will in the world it is blatantly obvious that this story line and title challenge was originally pitched for Rusev. But as he's injured Jinder Mahal is getting the story line, critics would say there are plenty of people the spot could have gone to and that's correct but its not what we've got. Instead of listing others who could take that spot lets focus on what we have.
We have a heel who can work and hopefully get Randy Orton over more as a face which is just what Orton needs. Right now he's in a muddy feud with Bray Wyatt and when he gets out he needs to get back to being a face against a traditional heel. We have a character in Jinder Mahal, who will no doubt rub his win in the face of others resulting in potential runs against the likes of Sami Zayn - we get so much more with this booking decision than it takes away.
4. Tradition
Over the years in WWE there has been the tradition of new wrestlers come in and being given wild over the top gimmicks to get them over. Examples of wrestlers who got their gimmick over and flourished are Mr Perfect, The Undertaker and Goldust. Wrestlers who haven't gotten their gimmicks over include Max Moon, Adam Rose and Vladimir Kozlov.
Jinder Mahal has flourished in every gimmick he's been given, his initial arrogant heel run got good reactions from Ryback and The Great Khali, the 3 Man Band stable were good comedy fluff and his run in NXT saw him enjoy a series of good matches.
The fact of the matter is Jinder Mahal has put the time in, paid his dues and deserves a title shot. Weather he deserves the elevated spot on the card we can only judge in the future.
5. Wrestlemania is Over
It can't be argued that the peak time of interest in WWE is in the run up to Wrestlemania in the first quarter of the year. Viewing figures are at their height and all the big names WWE has to offer are on show, however Wrestlemania is now over and its time to move on, John Cena and Nikki Bella are gone, Goldberg is gone, Chris Jericho is off touring with his band and Brock Lesnar while being the Raw champ is strictly part time.
Right now the WWE has two options, either move up the second tier talent to the main event scene, talent that has already been over TV for the last four months or to elevate mid card talent to see if they can run with the ball. If Dolph Ziggler or Luke Harper had won the six pack challenge and become the number one contender nobody would be talking about it. With Jinder Mahal winning people are talking about it and its creating a buzz that doesn't often happen at this time of year.
Keyfabe wise Smackdown Live presents itself as the land of opportunity and this is what it needs to be for Jinder Mahal right now. Coming off Wrestlemania Mahal is the hottest he's ever been on the main roster, he was the runner up in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and has been slowly building up heat on Raw for months.
This is the ideal time to see if he can sink or swim in the main event scene, right now people care about Jinder Mahal. They are talking about him and they've been booing him for months - he gets a reaction so lets see what he can do on the main event scene instead of the mid card scene.
2. Smackdown Live Needs to Build Heels
While the superstar shakeup was fairly even in who went where there's no denying that in the aftermath Smackdown is light on top level heels. The Miz and Bray Wyatt have moved to Raw, AJ Styles has turned face, Dolph Ziggler has sunk to far from the main even scene to be a legitimate top heel and Baron Corbin is still being built up to be a top level heel.
In short Smackdown needs to build some heels immediately, the only other genuine heel is Kevin Owens and he's busy feuding with Chris Jericho right now. Plus storyline wise he could be going back to Raw within the next few weeks. Lets not forget the last time WWE didn't raise someone up and take a risk it resulted in HHH winning last years Royal Rumble and main eventing Wrestlemania, something nobody wants to see again.
3. Rusev is Injured
Even with the best will in the world it is blatantly obvious that this story line and title challenge was originally pitched for Rusev. But as he's injured Jinder Mahal is getting the story line, critics would say there are plenty of people the spot could have gone to and that's correct but its not what we've got. Instead of listing others who could take that spot lets focus on what we have.
We have a heel who can work and hopefully get Randy Orton over more as a face which is just what Orton needs. Right now he's in a muddy feud with Bray Wyatt and when he gets out he needs to get back to being a face against a traditional heel. We have a character in Jinder Mahal, who will no doubt rub his win in the face of others resulting in potential runs against the likes of Sami Zayn - we get so much more with this booking decision than it takes away.
4. Tradition
Over the years in WWE there has been the tradition of new wrestlers come in and being given wild over the top gimmicks to get them over. Examples of wrestlers who got their gimmick over and flourished are Mr Perfect, The Undertaker and Goldust. Wrestlers who haven't gotten their gimmicks over include Max Moon, Adam Rose and Vladimir Kozlov.
Jinder Mahal has flourished in every gimmick he's been given, his initial arrogant heel run got good reactions from Ryback and The Great Khali, the 3 Man Band stable were good comedy fluff and his run in NXT saw him enjoy a series of good matches.
The fact of the matter is Jinder Mahal has put the time in, paid his dues and deserves a title shot. Weather he deserves the elevated spot on the card we can only judge in the future.
5. Wrestlemania is Over
It can't be argued that the peak time of interest in WWE is in the run up to Wrestlemania in the first quarter of the year. Viewing figures are at their height and all the big names WWE has to offer are on show, however Wrestlemania is now over and its time to move on, John Cena and Nikki Bella are gone, Goldberg is gone, Chris Jericho is off touring with his band and Brock Lesnar while being the Raw champ is strictly part time.
Right now the WWE has two options, either move up the second tier talent to the main event scene, talent that has already been over TV for the last four months or to elevate mid card talent to see if they can run with the ball. If Dolph Ziggler or Luke Harper had won the six pack challenge and become the number one contender nobody would be talking about it. With Jinder Mahal winning people are talking about it and its creating a buzz that doesn't often happen at this time of year.
Friday, 7 April 2017
10 WWE Superstars Who Should Be Drafted
As said by Vince Mcmahon on this weeks Raw, "its time to shake things up around here." Of course he was announcing the 2017 WWE draft, where superstars from Raw can be traded to Smackdown and vice versa. This is a good thing as it freshens up the roster and gives fans the chance to see superstars who haven't been on the same show for a while to cross paths.
Fortunately for WWE management and readers of this here blog I've been looking at the reasons for and against who should be drafted and have put together the top ten picks for next weeks WWE Draft.
10. Enzo and Big Cass
As a tag team Enzo and Cass have known been on the main roster for a full year where they have challenged for the Raw tag titles, teamed with John Cena and had programs with singles stars such as Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Rusev. However with the arrival of The Hardy Boyz and The Revival the tag team division on Raw is starting to get crowded.
By moving Enzo and Cass over to Smackdown it gives them the chance to show their strengths which is their promo skills and flair. This gives Smackdown a more vibrant tag division and the one thing that the tag division doesn't have flair.
9. Heath Slater
Since the brand split in 2016 Heath Slater has done the one thing nobody expected him to do - he got over. His new character of a redneck who needs the money for his 17 kids and above ground pool has been comedy genius as has his teaming up with the man beast Rhyno.
However since they lost the tag titles they have been under utilised, the teased break up hasn't happened and they've been stuck in limbo ever since. It makes sense to split the team up if they aren't being used and Heath Slater is the ideal choice for Raw as with the extra hour there is more time for him and his backstage antics which helped get him over back at the start of the brand switch.
8. Sami Zayne
Sami Zayne has had an impressive year during which he has built up an underdog reputation which has seen him involved in angles with Raws hierarchy and Braun Strowman. It makes perfect sense to move Sami over now as Mick Foley and Stephanie Mcmahon have been written off TV while Strowman looks like he's being set up for bigger things.
Also there is the elephant in the room, it moves him to a different show from Kevin Owens. Fans have lost count of how many times they've faced each other over the last year and this move forces creative to do something different with him.
7. Kalisto
Kalisto doesn't have a role on Smackdown, he's the lone cruiser weight not on 205 live or Raw. If anything his role over the last six months is to get beaten up, first by Baron Corbin and then Dolph Ziggler. His recent angle with Apollo Crews against Dolph Ziggler hasn't worked and all three are suffering as a result.
By moving Kalisto to Raw it gives him a chance to reignite his WWE career. Immediately it creates two chances for him one to reform the Lucha Dragons with Sin Cara and two the possibility to move over to 205 live and work with superstars more his size who can work with his style.
6. Rusev
Rusev hasn't been himself recently, he's been in a run of very strange programs including Enzo and Cass which has seen him team up with Jinder Mahal which went nowhere for either man. Admittedly Rusev is injured at the moment but from a booking point of view it gives fans the chance to feel the impact of the draft a few months down the line with perhaps a surprise run in.
Creatively Rusev has been at his strongest when used as a monster heel, however at the moment Raw has Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, Samoa Joe and Big Show. In short Raw is currently overloaded with monsters which leaves little room for Rusev. A move over to Smackdown would see him as the only monster and give him more room to flourish.
5. Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatts program with Randy Orton has been borderline perfect and shows what can happen when WWE does a slow burn story, its worth remembering that this story started in August 2016 and is currently in its eighth month. However all good things come to an end and it makes sense to separate the pair right now, with Orton as the Smackdown champion it makes sense to move Wyatt.
Story line wise it also makes sense as WWE creative have shown that they prefer to focus on Wyatts promo skills. Moving him to Raw with that extra hour gives him more space without cutting short the shows match time. Also with Brock Lesnar having Paul Heyman maybe Wyatt could bring Brawn Strowman under his wing and continue the story line set up in the 2016 Royal Rumble.
4. Cesaro
Again this makes sense due to Raws crowded tag team division. Sheamus and Cesaro have got over as a tag team and their story line has come to a natural end. They've fought, been forced to team, become champions and earned each others respect. The time has come for both parties to move on.
Cesaro has been held as a superstar who deserves to be further up the card by a number of legends and a change of show would help. Cesaro has done wonders in various factions over the the years but its time for him to strike out for himself.
3. Dolph Ziggler
When the roster split in 2016 Dolph Ziggler got off to a good start, he became the number one contender for the WWE title. Despite not winning the title he then entered into a well received program with the Miz, despite trading wins over all Ziggler would lose in the long term and since then he's kept on losing.
A heel turn has seen Ziggler turn from lovable loser to a dispirited villain which has been a struggle to watch. Comparing his position after the brand split with now makes it look like he's been stood in quick sand for the last four months. Ziggler needs something to give his career life, if things don't change for him soon he could be finding his way down to NXT.
2. Seth Rolins
Seth Rollins is without doubt a main eventer, since the Shield split up he has proven himself to be a successful heel champion and since his comeback from injury a very strong face. However his long term story line with HHH has now come to an end and it makes sense to move him away from Raw which is seen as the dominion of the Mcmahon-Helmsleys.
A move to Smackdown gives the show another contender for Randy Ortons belt as well as a potential Shield reunion with Dean Ambrose. Also it gives us a chance to see how he inter reacts with another member of the McMahon's in Shane.
1. AJ Styles
AJ Styles has been the MVP of the WWE over the last twelve months, he has faced Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and John Cena turning in many match of the year contenders. However as we've already said with others involved in programs with on air authority, his story line with Shane Mcmahon looks to be over.
On top of that Styles has competed with Orton, Corbin, Harper and most of Smackdowns roster in the last few months. While a program with Shinsuke Nakamura looks enticing surely it makes sense to move Styles to Raw, where an even more enticing showdown with Brock Lesnar beckons...
There you have it, the top ten picks from me for the 2017 WWE draft.
Fortunately for WWE management and readers of this here blog I've been looking at the reasons for and against who should be drafted and have put together the top ten picks for next weeks WWE Draft.
10. Enzo and Big Cass
As a tag team Enzo and Cass have known been on the main roster for a full year where they have challenged for the Raw tag titles, teamed with John Cena and had programs with singles stars such as Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Rusev. However with the arrival of The Hardy Boyz and The Revival the tag team division on Raw is starting to get crowded.
By moving Enzo and Cass over to Smackdown it gives them the chance to show their strengths which is their promo skills and flair. This gives Smackdown a more vibrant tag division and the one thing that the tag division doesn't have flair.
9. Heath Slater
Since the brand split in 2016 Heath Slater has done the one thing nobody expected him to do - he got over. His new character of a redneck who needs the money for his 17 kids and above ground pool has been comedy genius as has his teaming up with the man beast Rhyno.
However since they lost the tag titles they have been under utilised, the teased break up hasn't happened and they've been stuck in limbo ever since. It makes sense to split the team up if they aren't being used and Heath Slater is the ideal choice for Raw as with the extra hour there is more time for him and his backstage antics which helped get him over back at the start of the brand switch.
8. Sami Zayne
Sami Zayne has had an impressive year during which he has built up an underdog reputation which has seen him involved in angles with Raws hierarchy and Braun Strowman. It makes perfect sense to move Sami over now as Mick Foley and Stephanie Mcmahon have been written off TV while Strowman looks like he's being set up for bigger things.
Also there is the elephant in the room, it moves him to a different show from Kevin Owens. Fans have lost count of how many times they've faced each other over the last year and this move forces creative to do something different with him.
7. Kalisto
Kalisto doesn't have a role on Smackdown, he's the lone cruiser weight not on 205 live or Raw. If anything his role over the last six months is to get beaten up, first by Baron Corbin and then Dolph Ziggler. His recent angle with Apollo Crews against Dolph Ziggler hasn't worked and all three are suffering as a result.
By moving Kalisto to Raw it gives him a chance to reignite his WWE career. Immediately it creates two chances for him one to reform the Lucha Dragons with Sin Cara and two the possibility to move over to 205 live and work with superstars more his size who can work with his style.
6. Rusev
Rusev hasn't been himself recently, he's been in a run of very strange programs including Enzo and Cass which has seen him team up with Jinder Mahal which went nowhere for either man. Admittedly Rusev is injured at the moment but from a booking point of view it gives fans the chance to feel the impact of the draft a few months down the line with perhaps a surprise run in.
Creatively Rusev has been at his strongest when used as a monster heel, however at the moment Raw has Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, Samoa Joe and Big Show. In short Raw is currently overloaded with monsters which leaves little room for Rusev. A move over to Smackdown would see him as the only monster and give him more room to flourish.
5. Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatts program with Randy Orton has been borderline perfect and shows what can happen when WWE does a slow burn story, its worth remembering that this story started in August 2016 and is currently in its eighth month. However all good things come to an end and it makes sense to separate the pair right now, with Orton as the Smackdown champion it makes sense to move Wyatt.
Story line wise it also makes sense as WWE creative have shown that they prefer to focus on Wyatts promo skills. Moving him to Raw with that extra hour gives him more space without cutting short the shows match time. Also with Brock Lesnar having Paul Heyman maybe Wyatt could bring Brawn Strowman under his wing and continue the story line set up in the 2016 Royal Rumble.
4. Cesaro
Again this makes sense due to Raws crowded tag team division. Sheamus and Cesaro have got over as a tag team and their story line has come to a natural end. They've fought, been forced to team, become champions and earned each others respect. The time has come for both parties to move on.
Cesaro has been held as a superstar who deserves to be further up the card by a number of legends and a change of show would help. Cesaro has done wonders in various factions over the the years but its time for him to strike out for himself.
3. Dolph Ziggler
When the roster split in 2016 Dolph Ziggler got off to a good start, he became the number one contender for the WWE title. Despite not winning the title he then entered into a well received program with the Miz, despite trading wins over all Ziggler would lose in the long term and since then he's kept on losing.
A heel turn has seen Ziggler turn from lovable loser to a dispirited villain which has been a struggle to watch. Comparing his position after the brand split with now makes it look like he's been stood in quick sand for the last four months. Ziggler needs something to give his career life, if things don't change for him soon he could be finding his way down to NXT.
2. Seth Rolins
Seth Rollins is without doubt a main eventer, since the Shield split up he has proven himself to be a successful heel champion and since his comeback from injury a very strong face. However his long term story line with HHH has now come to an end and it makes sense to move him away from Raw which is seen as the dominion of the Mcmahon-Helmsleys.
A move to Smackdown gives the show another contender for Randy Ortons belt as well as a potential Shield reunion with Dean Ambrose. Also it gives us a chance to see how he inter reacts with another member of the McMahon's in Shane.
1. AJ Styles
AJ Styles has been the MVP of the WWE over the last twelve months, he has faced Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and John Cena turning in many match of the year contenders. However as we've already said with others involved in programs with on air authority, his story line with Shane Mcmahon looks to be over.
On top of that Styles has competed with Orton, Corbin, Harper and most of Smackdowns roster in the last few months. While a program with Shinsuke Nakamura looks enticing surely it makes sense to move Styles to Raw, where an even more enticing showdown with Brock Lesnar beckons...
There you have it, the top ten picks from me for the 2017 WWE draft.
Saturday, 1 April 2017
Adam Lallana
There are three certainties in life death, taxes and that whenever there is an international break a Liverpool player will come back to Anfield injured. During the recent break the player in question was Adam Lallana, who injured his thigh playing for England against Lithuania during which he set up one of the goals for Jamie Vardy. Far from the usual frustration when this happens after the most recent international break I found myself thinking "Its only Lallana."
Bear with me readers, I know what you're thinking. How can Liverpool possibly do without Lallana for a month? Settle yourselves down and I will inform you why Liverpool fans shouldn't be to worried about the face of Nivea being absent for a month.
I'm the first to admit Adam Lallana is having his best season for us and will defend him against those who say he isn't. He's already got more goals in the league than the past few years and equalled his best number of assists. However bar the assist for England he hasn't created or scored anything for Liverpool since he set up a goal against Stoke back in December. That's three months ago! Up until the 2017 arrived the lad was on fire but since then he's looked a pale shadow of his early season self.
As we all know form comes and goes, Liliana's form at the moment doesn't warrant a starting eleven place. If he wasn't injured it was time to bench him and bring someone new into the first team anyway. On top of that we have a Merseyside Derby this weekend, its a game that demands thunder and guts not Nivea and moisturiser. Liverpool can't afford someone off form in the midfield especially against a decent looking Everton with a dangerous Romelu Lukaku up front.
The main problem Liverpool have is who is going to come in for him. What Jurgen Klopp mustn't do is bring in Lucas. It never works, the guy has been playing out of his league since he joined Liverpool, yes he had potential however he's now thirty years old and the potential is gone. Klopp needs to stop resorting to Lucas, he needs to do something new. Klopp chose not to bring anyone in this past January so he has to work with what he's got. Weather this is push James Milner forward and bring Alberto Moreno back into the team or play a kid in the front three Liverpool need something.
Short term Liverpool have a derby to worry about, mid term they have an April fixture list including West Brom, Crystal Palace and Stoke. Teams against whom Liverpool's recent record isn't the best. But long term Liverpool have a top four spot to contend for. Liverpool may just learn the top four positions are build on a foundation of eleven players, for this season to be a success someone has to grab Lallanas spot in the first team and make it their own.
Bear with me readers, I know what you're thinking. How can Liverpool possibly do without Lallana for a month? Settle yourselves down and I will inform you why Liverpool fans shouldn't be to worried about the face of Nivea being absent for a month.
I'm the first to admit Adam Lallana is having his best season for us and will defend him against those who say he isn't. He's already got more goals in the league than the past few years and equalled his best number of assists. However bar the assist for England he hasn't created or scored anything for Liverpool since he set up a goal against Stoke back in December. That's three months ago! Up until the 2017 arrived the lad was on fire but since then he's looked a pale shadow of his early season self.
As we all know form comes and goes, Liliana's form at the moment doesn't warrant a starting eleven place. If he wasn't injured it was time to bench him and bring someone new into the first team anyway. On top of that we have a Merseyside Derby this weekend, its a game that demands thunder and guts not Nivea and moisturiser. Liverpool can't afford someone off form in the midfield especially against a decent looking Everton with a dangerous Romelu Lukaku up front.
The main problem Liverpool have is who is going to come in for him. What Jurgen Klopp mustn't do is bring in Lucas. It never works, the guy has been playing out of his league since he joined Liverpool, yes he had potential however he's now thirty years old and the potential is gone. Klopp needs to stop resorting to Lucas, he needs to do something new. Klopp chose not to bring anyone in this past January so he has to work with what he's got. Weather this is push James Milner forward and bring Alberto Moreno back into the team or play a kid in the front three Liverpool need something.
Short term Liverpool have a derby to worry about, mid term they have an April fixture list including West Brom, Crystal Palace and Stoke. Teams against whom Liverpool's recent record isn't the best. But long term Liverpool have a top four spot to contend for. Liverpool may just learn the top four positions are build on a foundation of eleven players, for this season to be a success someone has to grab Lallanas spot in the first team and make it their own.
Sunday, 26 March 2017
AJ Styles Vs Shane Mcmahon at Wrestlemania 33
If you've been watching WWE's Smackdown the last few weeks you couldn't help but notice AJ Styles has been put in a match against 'commissioner' Shane McMahon. A lot of people are unhappy with this - especially after Shaun Michael's recently stated he had turned down a match against Styles at Wrestlemania to stay in retirement. Many fans have been left salivating about proposed match however I'm here to tell you why you should be looking forward to AJ Styles Vs Shane McMahon.
I'm the first to admit Shane is no wrestler and his best days in the ring are behind him. However the good thing about Shane is that he's bat shit crazy. While his match against The Undertaker last year was two middle aged men crawling over each other for half an hour it did give us a Wrestlemania moment as Shane through himself off the top of the cell. Naysayers may say it wont be a good match I say AJ Styles can carry anyone to a decent match. Also you know, I know and your dog knows that anything Styles comes up with Shane is going to along with it because he's wired differently from most people.
Your going to get your match of the night somewhere else on the card, for this match sit back and enjoy the crazy that Styles and Shane come up with then brace yourself for a Wrestlemania moment.
I'm the first to admit Shane is no wrestler and his best days in the ring are behind him. However the good thing about Shane is that he's bat shit crazy. While his match against The Undertaker last year was two middle aged men crawling over each other for half an hour it did give us a Wrestlemania moment as Shane through himself off the top of the cell. Naysayers may say it wont be a good match I say AJ Styles can carry anyone to a decent match. Also you know, I know and your dog knows that anything Styles comes up with Shane is going to along with it because he's wired differently from most people.
Your going to get your match of the night somewhere else on the card, for this match sit back and enjoy the crazy that Styles and Shane come up with then brace yourself for a Wrestlemania moment.
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
The Last Guardian - Initial Thoughts
Gather around lady and gentle readers for I have a tale to tell, once upon a time on a console a long time ago a game called 'Shadow of the Colossus' was released. I didn't play but I found out about it a few years later, as it sounded like my kind of game I vowed to play the next game the team released, low and behold over a decade later they have released 'The Last Guardian' and I've got my grubby mitts on it!
This is not a main stream game, if FIFA or first person shoot ups is your jam there is nothing for you here, off you pop. If on the other hand you loved platform puzzle games this is for you. Its a proper platform puzzle game which doesn't hold your hand as much as other games - if you can't figure out how to proceed your going to be stumped. I'm four hours in and am loving this, the star of the game is Trico - a cute bizarre cat/dog/bird creature who is possibly the best AI non playable character I've ever come across.
The whole game is based around the relationship between Trico and the as yet unnamed playable child. Part of the landscaped is based around the child and half Trico - which means neither can escape the situation they find themselves in at the start of the game. The bond with Trico is so strong you will find yourself running over to cwtch him whenever he's upset - also he's saved the boys life so many times already. If you fancy something different this game is for you.
This is not a main stream game, if FIFA or first person shoot ups is your jam there is nothing for you here, off you pop. If on the other hand you loved platform puzzle games this is for you. Its a proper platform puzzle game which doesn't hold your hand as much as other games - if you can't figure out how to proceed your going to be stumped. I'm four hours in and am loving this, the star of the game is Trico - a cute bizarre cat/dog/bird creature who is possibly the best AI non playable character I've ever come across.
The whole game is based around the relationship between Trico and the as yet unnamed playable child. Part of the landscaped is based around the child and half Trico - which means neither can escape the situation they find themselves in at the start of the game. The bond with Trico is so strong you will find yourself running over to cwtch him whenever he's upset - also he's saved the boys life so many times already. If you fancy something different this game is for you.
Saturday, 11 March 2017
The Big Finish Catch-Up: November 2016
For those of you new to this section of the blog, I started listening to the Big Finish Doctor Who releases when they started back in 1999, getting them as they were released up to mid 2002 and release No 33 Neverland. At that time I left Uni and due to being a bit busy with life and what not I only heard one or two releases over the next few years. I started getting back into them around 2008 and was 6 years behind at that point. Due to wondering off into the Lost Doctor range and a relaxed listening pace I fell further behind. In order to catch up I'm listening to two releases a month (or more when its a 60 min single disc release, plus without seeing the cover or knowing anything about the story) and my mission to catch up continues;
First up this month is the main range story featuring the 5th Doctor and Nyssa. This is a very very good story on so many levels. Every episode has a different feel from the rest of the story, in particular the first episode really draws the listener in before dropping a cliffhanger on us that would have had even the those who listen to one episode a night rushing straight into the next episode. I especially enjoyed the situation the regulars found themselves in and how it related to the first episode.
The story leaves the regulars in a very interesting position and I can't wait until the next story this team of regulars turn up in. Of note when I finished the story and had a look at the CD case I was pleased to see it was written by Jonathan Morris who is one of my favourite writers in the range and that the guest cast had a 90's sitcom theme featuring Leslie Ash from Men Behaving Badly and John Pickard from 2.4 Children who gave good performances although I didn't recognise them. 9/10
Up next its the "Classic Doctors New Monsters" range featuring the 5th Doctor and the Weeping Angels. I'm so pleased that the Angels have popped up in this box set, as I said in the Sycorax story I'm aware of the concept but don't know which Doctors or monsters are in it. Some people may think its brave to have a story with a silent monster but I say Big Finish have earned my trust and I'm in whatever happens. Its another 90's TV guest star in Matthew Kelly off of "Stars in their Eyes." Its good to see the 5th Doctor have a go with the Angels given that later more experienced Doctors have been challenged by them. Its not as "timey wimey" as you might think and is a good action story. 8/10
The final listen of the month was the 8th Doctor range featuring the 8th Doctor and Lucie in a funny little story with "Doctor Who" doing "Top Gear" IN SPACE! I like it when Doctor Who does comedy and this story really goes for it and is the stronger for it. In particular Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith sound like they're having a whale of a time. I'm pretty sure this may be the first time this range has done a comedy and the 8th Doctor do one since Faith Stealer which was ages ago - we've had a few moments particularly in the first series of this range and its good that this story goes full on out. I was surprised when I checked the CD case and saw it was another story written by Jonathan Morris - you wait ages for one then two come along at once! Really good stuff, you'll get more of you're familiar with Top Gear and a strong 8/10 from me.
First up this month is the main range story featuring the 5th Doctor and Nyssa. This is a very very good story on so many levels. Every episode has a different feel from the rest of the story, in particular the first episode really draws the listener in before dropping a cliffhanger on us that would have had even the those who listen to one episode a night rushing straight into the next episode. I especially enjoyed the situation the regulars found themselves in and how it related to the first episode.
The story leaves the regulars in a very interesting position and I can't wait until the next story this team of regulars turn up in. Of note when I finished the story and had a look at the CD case I was pleased to see it was written by Jonathan Morris who is one of my favourite writers in the range and that the guest cast had a 90's sitcom theme featuring Leslie Ash from Men Behaving Badly and John Pickard from 2.4 Children who gave good performances although I didn't recognise them. 9/10
Up next its the "Classic Doctors New Monsters" range featuring the 5th Doctor and the Weeping Angels. I'm so pleased that the Angels have popped up in this box set, as I said in the Sycorax story I'm aware of the concept but don't know which Doctors or monsters are in it. Some people may think its brave to have a story with a silent monster but I say Big Finish have earned my trust and I'm in whatever happens. Its another 90's TV guest star in Matthew Kelly off of "Stars in their Eyes." Its good to see the 5th Doctor have a go with the Angels given that later more experienced Doctors have been challenged by them. Its not as "timey wimey" as you might think and is a good action story. 8/10
The final listen of the month was the 8th Doctor range featuring the 8th Doctor and Lucie in a funny little story with "Doctor Who" doing "Top Gear" IN SPACE! I like it when Doctor Who does comedy and this story really goes for it and is the stronger for it. In particular Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith sound like they're having a whale of a time. I'm pretty sure this may be the first time this range has done a comedy and the 8th Doctor do one since Faith Stealer which was ages ago - we've had a few moments particularly in the first series of this range and its good that this story goes full on out. I was surprised when I checked the CD case and saw it was another story written by Jonathan Morris - you wait ages for one then two come along at once! Really good stuff, you'll get more of you're familiar with Top Gear and a strong 8/10 from me.
Thursday, 2 March 2017
A Quick One
Hello lady and gentle readers apologies for the lack of blogging recently but real life has been doing that thing it does and getting in the way. Hopefully this month things will be a bit more regular and I'll be doing a bumper four updates of the Big Finish Catch-up to get things back on track along with the regular random blogging.
ta ta for now...
ta ta for now...
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