Ya' know, for a moment at the end there, with OldClara, I really thought something emotional- about the Doctor and Clara and regrets- was going to at least end the episode on a high note. Something akin to School Reunion..
Nope. They're off through time and space. Again.
So this episode was an Alien/Inception/Christmas mash-up. And that's all that happened, I knew the ending before it came on screen, I knew the story without really watching it. And I was left with the deepest, most genuine wish that I was watching David Tennants first episode over this tripe.
You might ask why, if I dislike the current run of Who so much, I keep watching it.
Well it's complicated. I loved Doctor Who, and there are many who really like where Moffat has taken the series. And he can turn out an interesting and emotional story- albeit infrequently at the moment- for me.. And I don't want to have to go back to the era of no Who. They were dark times. Plus there aren't many sci-fi/fantasy shows that are home-grown, and so it feels a bit disloyal to stop watching.
But I can't escape the fact that I'm still not enjoying the show as much as I used to.
I will say this. Nick Frost made a top-notch Santa. Maybe not a Who Santa. But next year, if the role in a different format were to be given to him again, I would definitely (probably?) watch it.
So a few days ago, during the height of the Sony hacking scandal, the subject of Spider Man and the rights returning (in part or, more probably, in full) to Marvel and the House of Mouse, in time for Captain America; Civil War.
A brief dig (or rather a long slog), delivered this little nugget onto my screen;
which, of course, I took with a heavy pinch of salt. But damn my geeky little heart! Because even though this may not come to pass- I LOVE ANTON YELCHIN AND DYLAN O'BRIEN.
Anton Yelchin (above), Dylan O'Brien (below).
Of course, if IMDb is to be believed, Yelchin was already considered for the role..
AND if true, made it through to the final auditions. Of the two, I think Yelchin is probably the better choice. For a start O'Brien basically already plays this role on Teen Wolf, and not only can you have too much of a good thing, he is already heavily committed to the show (as one of its leads) and to The Maze Runner movies- of which he is the star. He is a fantastic actor, and if he were to be courted by Marvel, and accept the role, I would be over-the-moon.
But Anton Yelchin has been acting since he was eleven! He has done everything from drama to comedy, sci-fi to action to supernatural. He played Odd in the adaption of Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, a film royally screwed over by various financial backers not ponying up the cash. Though not the greatest film ever made, or even the greatest adaption, it told the story in the same spirit of Koontz. It had the same tone, and most importantly Yelchin ROCKED BEING ODD!
It should have been his franchise launch, and he was robbed of the chance to not only explore the character further, but for the film to even see a theatrical release!
And that's why, out of these two great actors (if indeed Marvel are looking at them as potential Spidey's, and IF either of them are interested..) I would vote for Yelchin. He could pull off a more experienced Peter Parker- say, at college, part timing it at the Daily Bugle- but still be young enough to have the ups and downs of every teenager.
Plus wouldn't it be a great reunion for a young actor who has already starred beside Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana and Kat Dennings? All of whom have joined the Marvel 'verse?
Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do.. OR a huge clue to Dais- I mean SKYE'S true identity!
So I haven't reviewed the last couple of episodes, because I skipped ahead and saw them, and this penultimate episode is a little more important.
So the team know where the alien city is, and it's under San Juan (clearly the Kree/Inhumans/other are sun-seekers). Coulson, Bobbi, Mack and FitzSimmons are on the move to destroy it- and in doing so, proving that Coulson is a better man for the job as Director, as he has no intention of taking the alien tech for SHIELD, or letting the three million inhabitants of the island come to harm.
Meanwhile Skye, May, Hunter and the Koenigs are on a mission to "rescue" Raina from HYDRA's clutches. And in the process Skye learns that Raina can touch the Diviner/Obelisk without turning to dust, and she might be able to as well. Oh, and the Kree are name-dropped as well.
So all of this, as fans of the comics well know, is leading us along the path to the Inhumans, which is pretty bold of Marvel considering that is a movie that is not going to be released for a couple of years, and yet Agents of SHIELD are leading the charge with the larger MCU. Which is certainly something not yet achieved in the DC camp.
Down in the belly of San Juan, the dwarves are eaten by the alien city, and Mack is sent down to start them up again. BAD IDEA. Never touch glow-y alien symbols Mack, your mum never tell you that? Pulled to the safety of the fort, he "Hulks" out (for want of a better term) and attacks Coulson and the team. Poor Fitz is first forced to pull a real gun on his friend, and then watch as he falls back down the shaft into the city, where Coulson leaves him with the order to blow the tunnel. All-in-all it's been a rough few weeks for the poor engineer, what with feeling like he can no-longer work in the lab with Simmons, then losing another best friend.
And on the Skye/May team, the crew get hijacked in the cloaked Bus by none other than Grant Ward (fresh from setting fire to the family home, with the family inside). He's determined to deliver a compliant Raina to the evil-Nazi Whitehall, and takes Skye along to meet her father.
The episode itself is rather average, in my opinion. Lots of nice character moments of course, but it's clearly all a set up for the mid-season finale. And I can't help but be a little disappointed with what we've seen of the alien city so far. Of course it's a TV budget, and no doubt there has to be some collaboration with the long-term plans for the Inhumans, after all you can't waste a potential big reveal for the film on a show whose future might be in question, despite the significant upturn in quality this season (seriously, if you gave up on this show, and you're a fan of the MCU, you are an idiot).
But seriously, are they even going to give us a teensy glimpse of some alien cool-stuff?
So. Two fairly important movie trailers came out in the last 7 days, and both (though one more so) have set social social media all-of-a-flutter.
First; Jurassic World.
Now, I loved Jurassic Park, and this film looks pretty awesome. But, well a genetically engineered, man-made hybrid dinosaur? Some speculate that the park is a cover for the people behind it to create dinosaur super-weapons. That would be an interesting take- but the focus of the trailer is on the park. Does the phrase "don't sh*t where you eat" mean anything to you? I mean, you have thousands of visitors- and press no doubt- and you're creating an army of super-lizards behind the scenes? What about that second island, for all the experimental stuff- I mean, they obviously got the dinosaurs on Nublar under control..
The dinosaurs looked pretty good mind, though there were many criticisms of the CG in the trailer, it is obviously not a finished piece, so those criticisms can't be taken too seriously. No, for me the story is more of a niggling worry- a worry that might also be for nothing upon the movies release.
Second (and slightly more exciting); Star Wars VII- The Force Awakens.
I have a feeling that this is for Star Wars fans what *some* Star Trek fans wished the reboot movies could have been (though I personally had no complaints about them). J.J. Abrams has stated for years that, of the two franchises, Star Wars had a closer place in his geeky 'lil heart than Trek. And boy does it show in this trailer!
Neither bogged down with excessive CG, nor quite the rough-and-ready of the originals, this looks like the space opera that both young and old have fallen in love with, returning with flare. And the voice over is a curious mix of Andy Serkis and Benedict Cumberbatch, and pleasantly sinister (though the new Sith(?) lightsaber is a.. unique design. Okay, it's downright weird.), the new R2 unit, however, is cute- and will no doubt make for many a must-have toy for next Christmas. Of course, just like Jurassic World audiences and fans will make the final judgement, as the contents are only to be speculated at this point.
Though you'd have to have a heart of stone not to have cheered when the Millennium Falcon swooped onto the screen.
Oh. My. GOD.
Seriously, this series- it has improved in leaps and bounds since early season one.
But then this series was always destined to delve deeper into the Marvel Cinematic Universe's mythos, if from the viewpoint of the everyman (or secret agent anyway). And I always thought it achieved this, albeit with a few teething problems, that may just as easily have been on me as the viewer than the actual production. Either way I have always enjoyed the show, and thought it an admirable start to widen the MCU beyond the cinema constraints.
So this review/bit-of-nonsense write up will deal with spoilers and potential spoilers for UK viewers who haven't seen the header-episode.
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First, it was wonderful to see more of Agent Peggy Carter, SHIELDs creator/head agent and possibly its first Director(?).
We saw her in the season opener- accompanying the Howling Commandos (weapon in hand no less) to arrest Nazi and HYDRA head Daniel Whitehall/Werner Reinhardt and to seize the alien artefacts, and aliens, thus helping bring HYDRA to its knees *cough*. In this episode Carter is shown interrogating, threatening and eventually locking the aforementioned away, never to see the light of day again!
*cough* Sorry. Terrible frog-in-the-throat ;)
Of course this is all to build up the head of SSR/SHIELDs own series, starting in the New Year, which looks very interesting, and closely tied to everything we have seen so far and hopefully really easy to get into. It'll be interesting to see in more depth, how the two different generations of agents handle the day-to-day of aliens and monsters.
Of course The Things We Bury didn't just give us more of Agent Carter. It gave us glimpses of Whitehall's rise to the current head of HYDRA. Like he was going to die in that cell..
It also gave us this^ unnamed character, played by Dichen Lachman, no stranger to either sci-fi or Joss Whedon's works (previously Dollhouse of course). She comes to Whitehall- or Reinhardt really, a terrified young woman, taken as part of (possibly) the group that discovered The Obelisk. She is forced to touch the device, which a previous unfortunate didn't survive, but unlike him can handle it with no ill effects. Reinhardt is determined to cut her open to discover why, when Carter and the Commandos come to take him away.
Years later, in 1989, he is released and discovers the young woman, still young! And he continues with his dissection. All this is fairly intriguing on its own, but the real kicker comes right at the end, when, after seemingly dumping the body, the mysterious Doctor (Skye's father) discovers her, and swears revenge on someone he seemed to care for very much!
So it seems we've been introduced-briefly- to Skye's mother!
Both parents seem to have qualities that are, well, alien. So it's a bit difficult to pick out whether they were both extra-terrestrial, or if the mother just had (as the episode implies) qualities that would mark her as being saved upon alien take-over (or had the take-over already happened by then?!).
Either way, it's all getting very interesting.
The other fairly major plot, rather overshadowed, was Grant Ward's cathartic revenge on his brother, the Senator, and his parents for how he and his younger brother were treated. After which Ward is shown to be making his way into HYDRA's ranks, alongside Skye's father. Although in a rather nice little twist the Doctor basically calls Whitehall out as his enemy. So he may not be on Coulson's side, but he's certainly not on HYDRA's, and I suspect Ward may have a strong ulterior motive there too.
So a very solid episode. It's nice to see Fitz back in the field as well, and performing as well (if not better) than season one. Though it is worrying to hear that the viewer numbers are still falling, and that the producers are preparing for cancellation. I think this is a damned shame, this show has just gotten better and better, and is starting to set things in motion for the movies it would seem. If people (globally, not just the US) are willing to put so much stock in X-Factor and I'm A Celebrity, why not scripted shows too? I miss watching those- especially ones based in sci-fi or fantasy! Falling viewer numbers are what makes these shows die an early death, and the networks less willing to take chances on them. And we shouldn't be letting that happen. We pay for these shows by subscribing, buying DVDs and Blue-Rays. We review them, and live-Tweet our reactions to them. And we campaign for them when they face the axe.
So please give Agents of SHIELD a second chance, because it is so much better then naysayers would have you believe.
Oh. My. GOD. The Writing on the Wall was tense. I really thought Coulson might've flipped his lid for sure!
We got more squick-scenes like this;
And confirmation that more SHIELD agents had been to "the magical place" than just Coulson and Tattoo Man (from a previous episode, who uses his body as a canvas the same way Coulson uses a blank bit of wall).
Including an agent-turned-memory-wiped-artist, whose works definitely seemed familiar;
All of which..
The final scene shows what, yet another former agent inadvertently discovered, seems to be a 3D map of a city!
Alien? Well yes, one line in the episode seems to hint that the big blue alien, whose blood had been used to revive/cure all of these agents, is "older than the pyramids"- or, at least, the mystery of him is.
I couldn't help but wonder what all this is leading too.. Especially in the lead up to Age of Ultron and the potential of the Civil War storylines that the movies are steam-rolling towards.
Some Tumblr users have speculated that Skye's line "it's a map to knowhere", should be taken literally- that it's a map of Knowhere, as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. But I can't see much point in that. Guardians and SHIELD may exist in the same universe, but neither SHIELD nor HYDRA have to capability to leave the planet to get to Knowhere. And even if they did, it would be a struggle to find it or get past the Guardians or the smugglers or Nova Corps or pretty much every space-going race out there! And no offence, but that map doesn't seem to conform to the outer dimensions of Knowhere (which is an alien slum/waystation/flea-market- not a place advanced civilisations would willingly live, surely?).
Personally it would make much more sense for the map to be of an alien city buried on Earth, Stargate Atlantis style. In fact a quick internet search shows the final puzzle looking not-to-dissimilar to plans of the Teotihuacan pyramids of Mexico;
Imagine this, but 3D. And more alien-looking..
It has the look of being built underground (or at least embedded in a bigger structure, maybe internal layout of a ship?).
Of course this is all speculation and conjecture. But considering all the powerful assets HYDRA are gaining, or trying to gain, it wouldn't surprise me if a city-ship wasn't in the MCUs future. After all, if further speculation is correct, and Skye's crazy-ass father is a Skrull, then how would he have gotten here? Maybe this city is what he came to Earth to find?
I'll be honest, I think the only real reason this episode exists is because its Remembrance weekend.
Which is fine in one sense. It worked for the Family of Blood two-parter (and in my personal opinion, done much better), and the themes of sacrifice, loss and bravery in the face of combat have all been covered to great emotional effect before.
Except.. And I know that if anyone reads this, they'll hate my guts but- I don't like Clara.
Well to expand on that, I don't feel emotionally connected to Clara. And through her Danny. I also had some issues with the character of Missy/The Master. Not because somewhere between John Simm's last appearance and now, there's been a sex change, but because the character wasn't dangerous-mad, not until the last half an hour or so. Though when Michelle Gomez (Missy) does let loose, she does give Missy a certain nutty flair. But the pay off wasn't a surprise I don't think for most fans. They either thought she was The Rani (like me) or indeed, The Master.
Also Ingrid Oliver (who pleasantly surprised a lot of people with her role as Osgood in Day of the Doctor) was quickly dispatched in this episode (i.e. deaded), meaning that her chances of joining in in any future Who adventures becomes extremely unlikely- though does anyone truly die in science fiction?
RIP OSGOOD. WE BARELY KNEW THEE.
Speaking of dead, Danny was brought back as a Cyberman. But a Cyberman that would protect Clara blah blah blah. Skyline covered this angle already (probably others, but I can't see everything).
I still don't get why Missy wants to use dead people, corpses that barely have any biological elements as to be useful, to create an army for the Doctor for his birthday? She did it all for him, yet she must have known that he wouldn't accept it. Even if Danny hadn't ordered all the Cybermen (on the Doctor's behalf) to destroy themselves, he would have just ordered them all to jump into the sun.
Again I think this episode was just put out in honour of the weekend, because the plot doesn't have a payoff that I can see.
And it isn't even really over! It's more-or-less stated the Nick Frost's starring role as Santa in the Christmas episode will wrap up (hehe) the Doctor and Clara and possibly even Danny's story. (And boy does the teaser that followed the ep look like Doctor Who meets Alien).
So I can't even make any definitive statement about tonight's episode, because it might not have ended yet!
Still it was very nice to see UNIT in action again, though t would have been nice to see their SHIELD-esque helicarrier in action again.. Maybe for Christmas Constable Butterman?
And the Cybermen aren't the only ones to return with a new look!
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Yes the Master is back! And this time she's Missy! (Short for Mistress. Obvs.)
I honestly came so close to guessing right on that one, as I was convinced she was Time Lady Rani.
And guess what? Missy wants to conquer humanity! Again! Well a third time! (Maybe this'll be the charm. Though I doubt it.)
So in this episode we see Danny Pink killed in a hit and run(?) and sent to Heaven/Limbo or whatever it's been referred to in this series so far. Where, we learn, Missy has harvested all the minds of the recently deceased to become Cybermen?
I put a question mark by this, because apart from the kiddies- who'll rightly be hiding behind the sofa- anyone over say, ten, will have a few questions.
Like; why are whole bodies being used to build Cybermen? How did Master/Missy escape from being sucked back into Gallifrey's past? If recently deceased are being used, how come Missy makes a gleeful point of saying that the dead outnumber the living? And why the dead? You don't need an organic brain to build a Cyberman, not really- there's no point, and never was. And how are you harvesting the memories and emotions of people who have been dead for a long time?
Apparently the white noise on your radio/TV translates to the voices of the dead, who are still somehow aware of their old bodies- fine. Go there if you must. But how does that play into the whole "let's make a Cyberman" game?
Admittedly this is a two-parter, and we may get all answers to some of these questions. But it doesn't make any sense.
Yeah, yeah, it's a kids/family show. It's supposed to be scary.
But didn't Doctor Who used to scare with monsters?
Not the very real concept of death, and what happens when you die.
I just think that there are kids out there, who might have suffered a death recently, who might take this sort of idea seriously. And even if they don't, it's more than a little disturbing for what (used to be, seriously BBC? 8:15 at night? This isn't Torchwood ya' know) used to be tea-time TV. Danny coming face-to-face with a boy he killed as a soldier? Jesus!
So. We'll just have to see what comes with next week's instalment.
Oh and sorry, Missy is not a patch on John Simms Master.
FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITZ!!
I'm just going to make that my sub-heading for this show, until Fitz gets better. Ish.
I just love the little continuity nods. Like Coulson's ability to use the holo-display correctly, something neither he nor Ward could get the hang of in season one.
I also love the new, tooled up Bus! Seriously, the weapons and the cloaking tech. Better watch your back Talbot (or General Moustache as I've decided to name him)!
I don't understand why B.J. Britt hasn't been made a series regular. He's been in the show since halfway through last season. He's been given this fantastic link to the Howling Commando's, he gels with the rest of the regulars.. It's baffling!
Hunter is less annoying this week, sometimes it's like the writers are trying too hard. I'm sure he'll gel eventually- don't force it. Mackenzie is less of an unknown as well, his relationship with Fitz (being the only one who really treats him normally) is nice, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with it.
And Fitz! I'm simultaneously sorry for him and extremely pleased that he's still as sneaky and snarky as he could be in season one! And Iain De Caestecker just holds my attention. I'm interested in what he's going to do with Fitz, how he'll portray his next, frustration-filled blow out. It's happened more than once that a regular-but-not-main character has made a better impression on me than the hero (Buffy Oz and Xander, Firefly Wash and Kaylee, Shameless Mickey Milkovich.. ), and Fitz is it for me on AoS!
All-in-all I'm really happy with this season so far. I know people go nuts over Arrow and The Flash but I haven't warmed to them. I suppose it's thanks to the larger MCU. The DC movies have never had the same continuity or shared history, and it's that shared history that has me choosing AoS over them.
So did anyone else watch tonight's Doctor Who? With the trees and the tiger and the..
Yeah, it was a bit boring really. Heck- my family called the ending before the Doctor did. I mean, it wasn't Love & Monsters boring, but it didn't have the chills and sense of imminent danger of last weeks episode. And Clara went back to being more follower than equal, and heck it rarely felt like she was that. In fact, she might as well not have been in this episode. The character contributed less than Danny Pink.
Suppose I should mention the story. Trees save the world (even where trees and plant life shouldn't really grow. Magical Not-Torchwood fairy creatures are involved, as are kids (grrrr) and the world forgets the next morning.
Meh. I'm sure kids loved it, which I suppose is the main thing. It's just, it wasn't long ago I loved it too, and I haven't felt the same way about the show since David Tennant and Russell T Davis left.
Still, the finale (which was of course previewed after the credits) looks good! If only for the sight of Cybermen stomping down the steps of St Paul's. I like it when they introduce Daleks and Cybermen into the mundane landscape of London. It's sinister.
FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITZ!!
Eh-hem. Excuse me, had to let that one out.
So Agent of SHIELD returns, leaner and through necessity, meaner than season one. HYDRA has taken a severe toll on our hero's, and the world they live in. Whilst they have been scattered, through the efforts of Captain America and SHIELD loyalists, they are also everywhere. Mostly within striking distance of the few allies Coulson has made since The Fall.
Now, I struggled watching this episode. Mainly due to the fact that some other people in the room decided that eating a packet of crisps, and asking questions I couldn't answer OVER THE EPISODE (instead of, say, during an ad break), meant that I couldn't hear some fairly crucial lines. I'll have to watch it again sometime.
But, I'm a rogue reviewer. And I will review something even if I've missed a shed-load.
I LOVED the introduction with Agent Carter and the Howling Commandos. It craftily sets the Agent Carter series, and how it could crossover with Agents.
I also liked the introduction of new SHIELD agents and merc. Lance Hunter. Of course there are fewer agents at the end of the episode. But c'est la vie.
Oooooooh Fitz. This storyline was more than a little heartbreaking. And, just like The Sixth Sense I didn't see the end coming.
Talbot is destined to feel my wrath. He just never seems to want to listen. And I don't see him learning from his obvious mistakes.
Yay! More mutants/aliens/super-powered beings! Well, one in this episode, but I expect more will be on their way.
So yeah. Looking forward to seeing where this series will take us. Especially with Age of Ultron looming on the horizon..
I wasn't going to review this movie, for two reasons;
I'm fairly certain no-one reads anything on this blog. Which almost suits me fine, because it means no-one is here to flame me for my gushing ;)
I didn't want to get hassled for the following opinion..
I LOVED the new Ninja Turtle movie.
That's not to say there weren't things I would have liked to have seen done differently, or things that annoyed me (some of the camera work- that opening scene of April really should have been a "found footage" style cut to Vern filming her). But I enjoyed this movie just as much as Guardians of the Galaxy.
I loved the Turtles. Just in general. I never minded the new look of them, everyone bitching about the "noses" and comparing Mikey to Shrek, always sounded a bit petty to me. Especially the comparison to the CG design and the Henson design of the '90s films and various cartoons and comics..
Via filmequals.com
Clearly I am one of a minority that considers the above fan-made changes to look completely daft. The Henson designs were amazing- for their time. But surely more modern audiences wouldn't be able to take this look seriously? Plus, with motion capture, we get to see the actors expressions translated on the Turtle faces much better. When they're angry, they sneer! It's no different to Andy Serkis's performance or those on Avatar.
And the Turtles were pretty much everything I was expecting and hoping for. Leonardo was the leader, Raphael was the hot-head, Donatello was the techie and Mikey was a bit of an idiot-goofball. Nostalgia Critic seemed to think this was a negative, something that was unremarkable. But that's pretty much who the characters have always been (and in the '90s movie there wasn't much explanation for Raph's hot-headedness either- which was something he felt was missing from this film). But why should they explain it? Surely, if you're going to see a movie about mutant, ninja, turtle teenagers, you either already know these characters or at least have some inkling. Why would a non-fan go and see this? Would you expect a non-fan of Star Wars or sci-fi in general to see the new Star Wars movie?
People also commented on the characters played by Megan Fox and Will Arnett, such as they got too much screen time, Vern (Arnett's character) was too much of a lech (same went for Mikey), Fox couldn't act to save her life..
Actually I thought the screen time was spilt fairy evenly (though the sequel ought to be pretty much 100% Turtles), Vern and Mikey's characters did have fairly dodgy moments (the shell-tightening line and the ogling arse moment) but both of those were countered by either the other Turtles calling Mikey out on his comment and Vern almost killing them all, crashing through a massive snow bank. Which suggested to me that, if you're not more considerate, you will either be ridiculed and berated by your brothers or you will die.
And, okay, Megan Fox does come across as a bit stiff at times. But overall I thought she was pretty good as April O'Neil! Certainly this role is much better than her Transformers part, she's actually allowed to act here, for a start! She comes across in interviews as chirpy and relaxed, if she can be encouraged to carry that over on-screen more in the sequel, I think people would have a higher opinion of her.
And then there's the plot.
Yak, yak "it's the same plot as The Amazing Spiderman". Uh huh, that's nice. Except I've seen that movie, and I couldn't tell you about any single scene in that damn movie. I was seriously unimpressed with ASM, the "original" trilogy was the one I saw, and whether good or bad, the one that had stand-out moments (the kiss, the parade fight with Macy Grey, the final show down between Grren Goblin and Spidey in an abandoned building..). The new movie? Nadda.
Ninja Turtles had;
The awesome title sequence! Oooh I wish Marvel or DC would do something like that!
The cute scene of turtle-tots sticking a car wing-mirror through the sewer grate to watch MTV.
The premature high-three on the roof, frozen as they argue "is that a camera flash" and "do we kill her"? Drastic stuff ;)
The sneaking home. And Mikey's excuse that he's sleep-walking.
The hashi. The image of Raph knitting, Leo balancing eggs on chop-sticks while doing splits and Donatello ping-ponging away on a see-saw.
99 cheese pizza. Mikey's going down.
The after effects of the adrenaline rush. Leo, Mikey and Donnie go to leap over a railing, and just run through it.
Donnie's little snorting laugh.
Donnie's even more sarcastic response to Raphael's "weather and sports forecast", whilst sliding down a snowy cliff, underneath the trailer of an out-of-control big rig.
The elevator scene. Obvs. ;D
The "last" confessions. Donnie's licking of the pop-tarts before putting them back in the box. Mikey's confusion on the ending of Lost, and Raph- telling his brothers he was mean to them because he loved them, and didn't think he was worthy of them. Of course they land safely and Mikey asks if Raph is crying. "No! There's just a lot of dust 'round here".
Michelangelo, serenading April with this..
So this vs. Amazing Spiderman?
Not much contest really. I mean, even the reason Shredder and Sacks were trying to poison New York made sense. And can anyone really tell me Shredders arc in the '90s movie was better? He was training kids to be Foot soldiers- and also jack TV's from peoples balconies?! Ooooh, criminal mastermind there... *rolls eyes heavily*.
So yeah, you can hate the movie. The cast and director. And certainly you can hate Michael Bay. By all means go ahead.
But c'mon. Stop telling me this movie is complete and utter crap! I've now made up my own mind, and by the Gods I'll defend this movie to the death!
(The death by 99 CHEESE PIZZA!!!)
Plus? Noel Fisher as Mikey is really fucking cute. Seriously.
Genuinely creepy (though that has been a theme this series) and well paced- it even benefits from a consistent emotional state from Clara! The episodes writer, Jaime Mathieson, has done Clara a great service tonight. She is separated from the Doctor, and forced to play the hero and leader, and she does it brilliantly! Her experiences in time and space and her own intelligence shine- something that I personally haven't experienced much of this series. If she could be written, directed and acted like this for the rest of the series, I might actually miss her when she leaves!
And when the Doctor makes a reappearance at the end, it almost feels as grand as Matt Smith's finale in his first episode, or David Tennant's triumphant victory at the end of The Christmas Invasion.
All-in-all very happy with tonight's televisual feast!
I have, within the last six months, taken it upon myself to get re-acquainted with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now I was born in '84, so I wasn't aware of the original comics. My love with the hero's in a (WHOLE) shell began with this..
(Damn that's a catchy theme!)
I was not a "girly" girl in this respect. Mutants and alien cats were my thing. And it hasn't changed. I avidly watched the 2003 Turtles, as well as the movies (though I could have done without the live-action TV series to be honest) and yet, when the 2012 series rolled around, I dismissed it, based purely on the look of the animation!
Oh what a fool I was! I have never laughed so hard, and so often, at a cartoon since Animaniacs! The animation is so. much. better than I initially thought- the moves look natural, and the turtles are as beautifully distinct in looks as they are in personality. And so it didn't take me long to catch up!
And then several weeks ago (before any confirmation was made) rumours whipped around the internet that Jason Biggs, the voice of Leonardo, would be leaving the show. It's a toss up as to what provoked this change of cast, but that didn't really matter to me, I was more interested in who was going to be the next "leader in blue".
For a while Dominic Catrambone replaced Biggs. And I gotta say that at first I didn't really notice. A second watch confirmed the change- but Catrambone did such a good job, you could hardly tell the difference. And yet he wasn't confirmed for season 3. Curious.
And then, at last, there was some news, and my little geeky heart EXPLODED with joy!
Because Nickelodeon had hired SETH GREEN to voice Leonardo from season 3 onwards!
(Via ToonZone.net)
This guy played my all time favourite character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I cried RIVERS when he left (and left again!). And Robot Chicken Star Wars! He was part of my teenage years, and he was GINGER (very important to me at the time, being ginger and teased constantly it was really cool to see such a great actor with the same "weak spot" as someone so delicately put it to me).
Anyhoo, when I heard he was going to be a huge part of my first real fandom, suffice to say I was very excited. And when I watched his "debut" episode, I knew without a doubt, that this show had firmly secured a place in my heart.
Season 2 ended with "The Invasion" parts 1 and 2. And they were hugely tense affairs. Not only had the Kraang invaded New York, mutating their way through the city in vast numbers, not only had a shadowy military presence turned up to fight them off, not only had Splinter been thrown down and washed away in front of his sons by the Shredder down a large drain BUT Leonardo had been forced to go up against the Foot Clan, Tiger Claw and fellow mutants AND Shredder alone. Without his brothers or sensei. He'd been beaten (but only after putting up a magnificent fight) and the Turtle's world had been turned upside-down.
And so season 3 opened on them in hiding in Northampton, on a farm April had grown up on, awaiting Leo's return to consciousness..
The story itself makes for a terrific Halloween tale, the setting is "cabin in the woods" style horror, with what has to be one of the series best, and most dangerous mutants The Creep (yeah thanks Mikey, for giving it that name). A dangerous plant creature, The Creep is created from the medicine Donatello created for Leo to recover faster (the delivery method into the swamp where Creep came from, is less funny than it first appears, because Leo is in a really bad way, mentally as well as physically- and Green makes you feel it).
(301 production art)
I got a sense of early Supernatural/Lovecraftian influences here. The animation and background art on this show is amazing, I'm surprised the team behind it hasn't one (or at least been nominated) for more awards. It's surprising how much tension and action and emotion this show fits in a half hour, a lot of hour long shows could do with taking note of it, and whilst it is scary and even deals with quite difficult situations, at no point do you feel the show is too scary, or violent.
There is always a moral to the characters actions, they always leave the most "violent" choice as a last resort. It is a message that is repeated often.
There is no-way this is just a kids show. It is made by fans, for old fans and for new fans. For such a "silly" concept of teenage mutant ninja turtles, it is given weight- but not so much that the humour suffers, and it is a show that pretty much anyone can watch and enjoy. And I am sooo glad Paramount/Nickelodeon are giving the creative team the freedom to do the characters and the world they inhabit, such justice.
Three words. Waters of Mars. Only less scary. And what was it with Courtney? Giant spider viruses. A man dying in front of her- SHE almost died, and they're trapped on a "dying" moon! And her response? "I'm bored". I mean what? And what was with her apparent trauma after her -brief- first trip with the Doctor? He took the kid up to see a nice space view. A magical, life-changing experience for sure, but either the kid is more sensitive than she looks or (more likely) Clara's being a bit of a tit about it all. I'm going with the second option. After all, at one point she proudly tells the Doctor she has a "duty of care" towards her students.
REALLY?! And yet this duty obviously allows you to take her out of school during the day onto an alien spaceship, time travel and put her in great peril, and then force her to be a part of a decision which could literally mean the end of the world?
I can't help but find Clara more annoying as the series goes on. She's rarely clever, just bull-headed, which wouldn't be so bad if we hadn't seen it before ( and in my opinion handled much better!).
Oh and the newborn space-critter laying a new egg as it hatches. Convenient. But was I the only one who was reminded of the TV miniseries of Terry Pratchett's "The Colour of Magic"?
There are things that I enjoy about this series. But I'm having a harder time talking about them as time passes. Could it be I'm suffering Who fatigue?
That's not my review of this week's episode, just an overall vocalisation of the series so far.
It seems that, pretty much every episode has been a rehash or a riff of previous series. Tonight's was very much in keeping with RTD's 'School Reunion'. Only without the reunion. And that's probably where my problem lies. I enjoy Capaldi as the Doctor. He's gruff (if a little too mean-spirited at times) but he IS given some great lines. And Danny Pink is a very welcome addition to the cast- even if he hasn't made companion yet.
But it doesn't really excuse the reuse and retooling of previous stories. Tonight's villain was weak, no real threat at all it feels like. They didn't even interrupt parent/teacher evening, which would have at least put some innocents in mild peril to make the stakes a bit higher. The one child we got to know at all, Courtney, was never in any danger- and got a quick spin in the Tardis to boot!
And there was yet further reference to Eleven's relationship with Clara when Twelve mistakes a bow-tie bedecked teacher for Clara's new beau. And frankly I don't see any point in making as much of it as the story did. A knowing smirk? Yeah sure, but a two minute argument over it? Please.
Another thing that caught my attention was a line by the Doctor to the aforementioned Courtney; "Haven't you got shoplifting to go to?".
I couldn't decide if that was racial stereotyping (I can imagine viewer complaints coming from the American audience, considering recent real world events), or generalising young people as ASBO collecting misfits. Time will tell if Social Media sites like Tumblr make something more of it..
The Doctor's dislike of soldiers is very tiring. Danny's a MATHS TEACHER. GET OVER IT. Being a soldier doesn't necessarily define your entire life after you leave the service. I have a neighbour who is now a paramedic, and very dedicated to saving lives. That's what good soldiers- heck good people- try to do. Harming people is (for the greater majority of armed forces personnel) the LAST OPTION TAKEN. And it kinda pi*ses me off that the Doctor (a former soldier himself) doesn't see that.
So yes, some great lines. Some interesting ideas, and a great Doctor. But I can't help but feel weary of the bull that is seeping into a show that used to rise above such nonsense more.
And lo! Much chewing of the scenery there was to be had!
I swear, every line out of our new Doctor is a winner- for instance, in a scene where the Doc and Robin are trying to enact a daring escape, our favourite Time Lord gleefully tells the guard that Robin has soiled himself under the stress of being captured. On top of that when our two hero's meet, Robin challenges the Doctor to a duel over possession of the Tardis. The Doctor's not much for fighting, at least not conventionally! Instead of a sword (or even to over-used Sonic Screwdriver), he whips out a massive SPOON! He then proceeds to thrash our Prince of Thieves, before receiving a dunking.
There are flashes of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Monty Python in this weeks episode. And it screams of Mark Gatiss' flair for the ham-ish. Which is a definite bonus for this episode. The plot is easier to follow than most, the mystery is (well) mysterious without being demanding. It does link in with the series-arc Moffat has set up, but thankfully doesn't linger on it, and though the ending is a little weak, at least it has delivered plenty of laughs.
Oh look, I've kept this review brief! It's like a Christmas miracle!
Let's make no bones about it- this was series "one"'s Dalek for the Twelfth Doctor.
That said, Into the Dalek is done from a different perspective. And I mean that literally, as the Doctor, Clara and the soldiers who have recruited them to heal the Dalek are all shrunk Innerspace style to fix it.
The Twelfth Doctor's first episode was hit-and-miss for me, whereas this was very much a return to form, with some great lines from the man himself. I like Capaldi's darker Doctor (though it's nice to see that his search for good in people- even his enemies, is still going strong), and I suspect he will grow on me even more as I become more used to his new quirks.
But this episode highlights the ongoing problem for me. Clara.
In fairness she fills more of a gap with this episode (a Donna shaped one surprisingly) by pointing out to the curmudgeonly Time Lord, when the Dalek reverts to it's natural tendencies, that doing so isn't the only thing a Dalek can do. Under the right circumstances they can appreciate beauty and a (sort of) respect for the universe at large.
So what's this got to do with my problem with Clara? Well to my mind, doing what she did in this episode, pushing the Doctor to see a different point of view, to learn something and not take the situation as read, is what the companion has always needed to do. With Clara and Amy the storylines tended to focus on some weird "unrequited love" or they themselves being "the most important girl in the universe". But they aren't supposed to be. They are the audiences guide through a journey with a being who has seen and done almost everything in the history of everything. They are there to enforce a sense of humanity on someone who may come across as cold or uncaring in certain situations.
Take for example The Fires of Pompeii (I know ;D) and Donna's push for the Doctor to save someone, anyone even just one from the disaster happening at that moment. He does of course, and becomes less cold and cynical and more human in doing so.
The problem with Clara, for me, is that she started out more than a little in love with the Doctor, and that's just something that was old when Russell T Davis introduced Martha. It was done with Rose, and it was a novelty. But we've now had Martha, Amy and Clara in that position, and it's really not unique anymore and it's kind of tainted Clara for me a bit, they wrote her that way right off the back of Amy and the Doctor's relationship and have about-faced her for Capaldi's Doctor.
I guess the point I'm very messily trying to make is STOP MAKING THE WOMEN FALL IN LOVE WITH THE DOCTOR.
Anyway back to Into the Dalek (and if you've read this far without burning an effigy of me, or just falling asleep congrats!).
The pacing of this episode seemed better. There was a definite threat with a deadline, there was consistency- the solution to the problem was introduced early and it made sense to return to it for the resolution. The daleks confrontation of the Doctor, what was inside of him highlighted the inner struggle the Doctor has faced for sometime, further cementing him as the Doctor without beating me as the audience around the head with it. The visuals were stunning. The space battle and the interior of the dalek were very well realised, while at the same time not losing the retro feel of a show made in the UK on a bit of a budget (something I like quite a bit).
We were introduced to former soldier (and future companion) Danny Pink, Clara's fellow teacher at Coal Hill, and Journey Blue, an excellent potential companion, cruelly dismissed by the Doctor for fighting for what she believed in, others. I can't wait to see what Danny will bring to the show, a nice comparison with the Doctor- a guilty conscience trying to do right in the world.
All in all I enjoyed Into the Dalek much more than the premiere. Though the theme tune could do with a little more oomph.
Well I'll be honest, Doctor Who was hit-and-miss for me. The plot was *very* thin, and it wasn't until the end the Capaldi felt like the Doctor. But he does feel like it at the end, and that's the main thing.
The new mystery could go either way- good or bad, and hopefully doesn't introduce us to another River Song (my money's on Mystery Lady being Rani) and I REALLY wish Clara would disappear into Time and Space. Sorry but I'm not a fan. And I spent a large chunk of the episode wondering if she'd suffered a blow to the head, as Clara seemed to have forgotten then very nature of who the Doctor is and the Regeneration process. I mean, she did supposedly travel through the Doctor's entire timeline, she KNEW he Regenerated, and yet her reaction (over the top) was one of betrayal. I know it's the writing but c'mon, consistency would be quite nice.
On the whole it was a little underwhelming. I'm of the firm opinion that Steven Moffat can write intriguing stories, but can't showrun Who worth a damn.
I AM looking forward to seeing Peter Capaldi as the now fully Doctor, Doctor though.
*Edit* My comment on the SFX website's review. Because I thought it was more coherent.
High points;
- The Doctor's "entrance" at the end saving Clara. THAT was the Doctor.
- The heroic entrance of Vastra, Strax and Jenny.
- MATT!!!!!
And then there was the rest of it. Even including NEW, new viewers, it felt like the writers were ramming it down our throats that Capaldi was still the Doctor. Which I really hope isn't going to be a thing they do every time this character regenerates. Please just stop.
And I still don't really like Clara. Yes she showed she had some balls in the captive scene, but it doesn't excuse the characters loss of memory regarding the Doctor's very nature. I don't remember her having a scene where she forgets she's known the Doctor throughout his lives. But I could be wrong. So much time has passed since I saw the Trenzalore episode, maybe the Doctor DID wipe her memory? I just don't like her. I don't *care* about her like I probably should. But maybe I'm just tired of the whole "most important girl in the universe" shtick.
See that image up there? That shocked face was what I sported when I left the cinema yesterday afternoon. (After the end credits of course).
Guardians of the Galaxy is CRIMINALLY GOOD.
But before I gush about what was soGoddamngood about it, I shall present the few niggles I had.
The story- based around the destructive properties of some Infinity stone, was a bit weak. It was a McGuffin, the ever increasing presence of unobtanium that seems to fill movies. That's not a bad thing per se, there are after all only a few stories that can be told )and it IS the way they're told that is all important). But that doesn't mean that the main plot didn't feel like it kicked in until the end of the second act.
More Gamora next time please. Of course we saw her kicking ass and taking names (well, teeth at least), but all the time we were really only told how dangerous she can be, and it'd be nice to see a little more of it.
Nebula. The second adopted daughter(or daughter. It's a little hard to figure from the dialogue at times) of Thanos the Big Bad. Another trained assassin that gets little or no screen time. She comes across as psychotic, where Gamora is conflicted and repentant. I'm not a fanatical feminist, but you'd have to have been living under a rock to tell there are so few female characters in the Marvel universe that stand on their own (and not a love interest- which I'll come to next..), that these two feel a little squandered.
The love story sub-plot. I mean.. just why? Well maybe not why, Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana have great chemistry- actually their characters do too. So my question isn't necessarily why so much as why now. They could have left the love story for the sequel, and just had the flirty banter in this film like Natasha Romanova and Captain America seem to partake in.
But that's enough of my nitpicking. On to the good stuff!
The look of the film! It truly is beautiful, the space scenes (particularly when they reach Nowhere) is just stunning, and the movie balances splashes of bright, comic-style colours with dark and gritty cities wonderfully. There seems to be a recurring theme with DC movies to Nolanize everything, and make it unrelentingly dark and "real". Marvel has never really tried to do that- and when they do there is usually a splash of colour somewhere on screen (like Tony Stark's imprisonment in the Afghan caves. It's dark and a seriously bad position for his character to be in, but the fires of his forge, and his brand new arc reactor shine out).
The ships, the Milano in particular I desire. The look isn't unique, unique (I got the distinct impression of Babylon 5) but I still haven't seen too many ships with that much colour on them. I'd imagine this ship, this movie looks amazing in IMAX.
The humour. The introduction of Peter Quill as Star Lord HAS to be one of the best, the funniest of the current Marvel batch. You just don't expect such a bad-ass looking bast*rd to start doing a Gene Kelly in the middle of a dead and decaying civilisation. And it is glorious. The rest of the cast do a phenomenal job with these characters. Groot and Rocket are the scene stealers for much of the movie (and you really have to keep an eye on what's happening in the background with them in a lot of scenes, because that's where the good stuff tends to be). Drax is such a deadpan snarker he'll be used as the trope namer after this movie. Plus the showdown with Ronan is not entirely what you might expect from and action movie- and yet it still works because it is so in keeping with the Peter Quill we've been introduced to!
The fact that it doesn't tie-in with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to neatly releases it from the trapping of the larger mythology. It's nice to see The Collector, and Thanos and know what they've done without shoe-horning the Avengers in to the mix. The delayed gratification will make it all the sweeter when the Avengers and Guardians eventually meet up *rubs hands in glee at the thought*.
It's just so nice to see a space opera style movie again! Yes I know we've had Star Trek, and we've got Star Wars coming up soon.. But this film follows in the footsteps of Wars and Trek at their best- with a dash of Indiana Jones thrown in!
Howard the Duck. And not the 80's abomination.
Firefly lives on! Okay we all know that, but this movie captures that same humorous, irreverent tone and couples it with the bright lights of the MCU. It also helps that the big damn hero's mind-set of the characters is alive and well in these Guardians.
I'm not saying there aren't issues with the film, but there aren't a lot of films that are 100% free of niggles. But this movie is such fun, and both takes itself seriously and doesn't that I can't see any fan of the current crop of Marvel movies finding it wanting. My boss asked me what I thought of it and wanted a ranking out of ten. I gave it a nine. And I don't give that high a rating on just any old flick!
