The Big Finish Catch-Up: December 2015

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;

My final audio session of 2015 started with 'The Last Post' from the 'companion chronicle' range starring Caroline John in her final performance as Liz before her passing. Its a bit of a belter and Caroline performs the other UNIT regulars with gusto. Some fannish moments and another story that shows this range isn't to be ignored.

The moment I found out that Big Finish had the War Doctor I knew I couldn't wait eight years to catch up. This feels like something different from the norm, more tragic than anything I've ever heard and John Hurt gives a war/universe weary performance. It feels both epic and intimate, the story throws you off kilter - just as you think a typical 'Whoish' thing is going to happen the rug is tugged from under the listeners feet and you realise this is going to be a range unlike any other. The War Doctors relationship with the Time Lords also isn't what I expected but it suits the Doctors renegade nature. It has an odd end but its an odd story with what I suspect included a lot of set up. In short 'The Innocent' is a very interesting story and feels like it could be the start of a special journey.

Tips for Euro 2016

Good evening ladies and gentle readers, on the eve of Euro 2016 its time for my irregular betting and trading tips for Euro 2016! And without further ado...

Starting off big, outright lay of France to win the thing @ 4.5

We've all seen it before, being the home nation artificially shortens a countries price. You will never convince me in a decade of Sundays that France are a 4.4 shot. Outright lay and I will say this now France wont win Euro 2016.

Group B winner a back of England @ 1.85

Heresy I hear you say, how can you tip the noisy neighbours from over the bridge? But hear me out! Look at the price! Look at the qualifying form! Look at the opposition! You will never get a price this good on a team in this situation.

Lay of Turkey to finish top 2 in Group D @ 3.05

A small lay as I favour Czech Republic or Croatia to qualify alongside Germany.

Lay of Sweden to finish bottom of Group E @ 2.90

I think Group D is the group of death that will see Rep Ire wiped out as the rest battle for the top spot.

Albania V Switzerland back over 2.5 goals @ 2.78

Turkey V Croatia lay under 5 booking points.

and thats it for the moment, I hope to see you on the other side with a slightly swollen purse.

Thoughts on Wrestlemania 32

I didn't watch it, but I hope those that did had a nice time and weren't to tired this morning. Also from past experience I hope everyone who stayed up survived work without getting an official warning for falling asleep.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, this blogger decided to make the trip this fair fine Good Friday to the local cinema to watch the aforementioned film and here's what I thought;

I'm sorry to report that its a mess, not a fun glorious over the top mess but a stodgy mess that for a large proportion of the film doesn't get into first gear. I'm trying not to give away spoilers so it isn't going to be as detailed as other reviews. There are a few dream sequences in the film where it isn't really clear the character is dreaming until the events unfold, at one point there is an event in the film about to take place and I thought we were still in a dream. I had to nudge myself into clarity as it dawned on me the final act was about to take place, at that point it dawned on me that I was a bit bored and rather than excited I was relieved.

The film starts giving us a very good reason why Batman may not be on the same page as Superman, however however the story takes a while to show us why Supes may not be on the same page as Bats. As well as that other things are going on (including what looks to be the setting up of the film DC Universe) and its just to much. A lot of Superman's storyline is tied up with ramifications of his previous film which I didn't care about - certainly take something from the film and develop it but stop the endless referencing.

There are a lot of comic fan moments in this film - at one point I caught myself mentally squeeing at the sight of a SPOILER but a quick scan of those around me saw blank expressions. Its the kind of film where your going to need a geeky mate to explain things to you afterwards and most people will definitely need to look it up on wikipedia to explain some of the confusing plot elements. Visually the film is unclear and murky which doesn't help things - especially in the final act. Its without doubt a film for the fans I know full well a shed load of texts from non comic geek are going to be coming my way demanding explanations. There are some really good Easter eggs to keep your eyes open for and a lot of things to excite fans. Ben Affleck I found quite decent, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot deserve plaudits and should have had more screen time. The rest I could give or take to a certain extent.

To sum up, this is purely for fans and theres a lot of good stuff for them in this, however as a film it looks a bit sloppy and I came away disappointed when I was really up for it. I give it five Bat signals out of ten.

Big Finish Catch-Up: November 2015 - December 2015

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;

Due to me being busy I haven't had the time to update this part of the blog over the last few months so here's a bumper update of the stories I listened to between November and December...

First up its 'No Mans Land' featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex. I like this story very much, there are a few curve balls and around an episode in it really pulls the rug from under the listeners feat. This is one benefited from coming in with no spoilers and I look forward to coming back to it in the future.

We're in the realms of 'something special' here, I must say at the start I've heard this story before but like the rest of the first season of '8th Doctor adventures' not since the original broadcast. This story sums up to me what this range is about, taken a past Doctor and putting him in a situation more akin to the TV series since 2005. We've had some standout moments and stories from the 8th Doctor in the main range (I get soppy remembering  Storm Warning coming out as we were finally getting the current Doctor in a season and at that at the time the show was a million miles from coming back to TV) but here we're getting the equivalant of a TV season finale with Paul McGann and Sheridan Smiths 8th Doctor and Lucie. We get answers, revelations, plot twists, ongoing characters from during the season get developed while in the middle at times theres an intimate story. Fully recommended, a thumbs up from me and 10/10.

This is a story that sums up what Nick Briggs does best, he comes up with a plot and firmly pins the entire story to it. I've heard some stories lately where Nick is trying to be 'fluffy' (mainly with the 4th Doctor) and it doesn't work. If your coming into Big Finish wanting to hear some stories by Nick Briggs get this or Creatures of Beauty. This story in particular I found very interesting - not fun but I was fully absorbed, a strong 7/10.

This one randomly popped up because it was on offer, we're back to being in 'something special.' For a reviewer who doesn't look at the titles or covers to avoid spoilers I feel the urge to point out how much I like the cover and the title. I like The Beatles, they've been a constant in my life since my youth and theres a lot of fun to be had here. The best thing I can say about this story is I've been trying to sneak the gags into daily life. Its a fairly different story and fun - I think everyone can take something from this, its a Fab Four out of four from me.

Answers...

GIVE ME ANSWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Storm Imogen

Hello ladies and gentle readers, in case you don't know Storm Imogen is battering the UK and its all gone to pot.

The countries on the verge of grinding to a halt, trucks are being blown over, tiles and roofs are being blown apart, the streets are littered with damage, the trains have a speed limit of 50mph and unless I'm very much mistaken a herd of pigs was just blown by.

My problem with this is we know its coming, we're an island, theres always a storm/snow/flood/heatwave around the corner. We should be prepared for this and we never are. My message to the powers that be; SORT YOUR SHIT OUT AND GET THIS COUNTRY READY FOR WEATHER ON GENERAL.